BREAKING: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Jeff Sessions for Attorney General Spot

By Kenrya Rankin Feb 01, 2017

Senate Democrats were able to delay a Judiciary Committee vote on Jeff Sessions yesterday (January 31), but they were not able to stop the committee from approving President Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Justice today (February).

The majority Republican committee approved the Alabama senator via an 11-9 vote along party lines. Sessions is now one step closer to serving as the U.S. Attorney General. It’s a move that comes after much protest from groups who feel Session’s record of racist remarks and political connection to the president make him a poor choice for regulating the nation’s policing and civil rights policies.

No exact date has been released for the full Senate to vote on his nomination, but The Washington Post reports that he is expected to be confirmed by week’s end. Republicans hold 52 of the 100 Senate seats and only need a simple majority to push him through.

Watch C-Span’s video of today’s committee vote below.