U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces She Will Oppose Senator Jeff Sessions’ Nomination for U.S. Attorney General

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today released the following statement announcing she will oppose President-elect Trump’s nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for United States Attorney General:

“America has made great progress over the last eight years with an Administration that has taken seriously a shared responsibility to pass on to the next generation a country that is more equal, not less equal.

“Every American citizen deserves a government that is as good as they are and they are right to demand that our Attorney General, and our Department of Justice, are committed to the principle that racism, discrimination, and hate-based crimes will not be tolerated in America. All Americans also deserve a strong commitment from our Attorney General, America’s top law enforcement official, to act on violence borne out of hatred based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic. It’s also very important to me that we have an Attorney General who will be a strong supporter of constitutional rights. At a time when voting rights and the constitutional right of women to make their own, personal reproductive health care decisions are under attack across our country, we need an Attorney General who will stay true to these constitutional freedoms and not be driven by politics.

“For me, the vote on Senator Jeff Sessions’ confirmation to be our next United States Attorney General is a moral choice guided by my strong belief that all Americans deserve equal opportunity and the freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams. That is the promise of America and I have committed myself and my life’s work to make sure we keep it. After meeting with Senator Sessions, I cannot support his confirmation to be our next Attorney General because I don’t have faith that he shares these beliefs and that he will embrace these commitments, and our shared responsibility to move our nation forward for all Americans.”