NCAPA Urges Full Senate to Oppose Nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General 

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 to advance the nomination of Jeff Sessions to become the next Attorney General of the United States. As this nomination heads to the full Senate, the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) reaffirms our strong opposition and urges Senators to vote no.

“We need an Attorney General who will be the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer,” said NCAPA National Director Christopher Kang. “An Attorney General who will stand up to the president when he seeks actions that break the law or violate the Constitution. Just as then-Acting Attorney General Sally Yates did on Monday. When President Trump fired Sally Yates, he made clear that he does not want an Attorney General who will be independent, he wants one who will rubber stamp his every proposal. He wants Jeff Sessions, whom Stephen K. Bannon has called ‘the fiercest, most dedicated, and most loyal promoter in Congress of Trump’s agenda.’ Senator Sessions’ lack of independence and his record on civil rights for people of color, immigrants, women, people with disabilities, people of all religions, and LGBT Americans deem him unfit to lead the Department of Justice. We urge Senators to oppose his nomination.”  

Last month, NCAPA sent a letter to the Senate outlining our opposition to Sen. Sessions becoming the next Attorney General. Additionally, more than 140 civil and human rights groups in the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, including 19 of our member organizations, joined a letter in strong opposition to Sessions.

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Based in Washington, D.C., the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans is a coalition of 35 national Asian Pacific American organizations that serves to represent the interests of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities and to provide a national voice for our communities’ concerns. Our communities are the fastest growing racial/ethnic group in the United States, currently making up approximately six percent of the population.