WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends” this morning to discuss his role in the upcoming confirmation hearing for Sen. Sessions as Attorney General.
Full audio and video of the interview available here: http://bit.ly/2iflARq
Excerpts from the interview:
Sen. Coons on Sen. Sessions' congressional record: “My main concerns, as I've dug into his record in researching for today’s long hearing, is some of his previous statements, actions, and positions on issues that were broadly bipartisan. I'll give you one example. There's a criminal justice reform effort being championed by conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats, senators like John Cornyn and Thom Tillis and Mike Lee, have joined with a number of Democrats to move the bill forward that would address some of the over incarceration in the United States, and that's something that Senator Sessions has staunchly and fervently opposed. So, I'll have some questions for him today in the hearing about his views on prison treatment, prison conditions, incarceration, and how we should move forward on criminal justice matters in the United States."
Sen. Coons regarding Sen. Sessions on racial issues: "I have concerns about the impact of legislation that he's opposed or that he's sponsored, and I have some concerns about his record. I do think that we're going to examine him in great detail today and tomorrow.”
Sen. Coons on Sen. Sessions’ record as AG in Alabama: “I've also got some concerns about things he did around free speech, around torture, and some of his positions on the role of the Attorney General, both when he was state Attorney General in Alabama, and the role he would take if confirmed to Attorney General."