senate members who will have to decide whether they are qualified to lead the country and serve as the incoming president's closest cabinet advisors. it's day two of confirmation hearings for senator jeff segments, donald trump's pick to become the next attorney general of the united states. any in a moment now in an unprecedented move senator cory booker and representative john lewis will testify against his nomination. we will bring you that live once it happens. the president-elect's pick for secretary of transportation, elaine chow, also on capitol hill today as well as the former exxonmobil ceo rex tillerson who has been nominated by the president-elect to take over john kerry's post as secretary of state. he has faced some tough questioning from both sides this morning. his hearing is set to pick up a little bit later this hour after a short break. we'll have live coverage of that as well. the president-elect finally says russia was behind the hacking during the 2016 election.

in his first news conference in some six months, the president-elect was asked about new allegations, allegations that russian operatives claimed to have compromising information about him. multiple sources tell cnn the allegations were presented to mr. trump in a two-page summary along with the intelligence report on russian hacking. the president-elect dismissed this as "fake news." here are some of the heights ig of what he said about that and a wide range of issues during his news conference. >> i think it's a disgrace that information would be let out. i saw the information. i read the information outside of that meeting. it's all fake news. it's phony stuff. it didn't happen, and it was gotten by opponents of ours, as you know, because you reported it and so did many of the other people. it was a group of opponents that got together, sick people, and they put that crap together.

>> during your visit to either moscow or st. petersburg, you engaged in conduct that you now regret and that a reasonable observer -- a reasonable observer say you are potentially vulnerable to blackmail by russia or its intelligence agency? >> let me tell you what i do. when i leave our country, i'm a very high profile person, wouldn't you say? i am extremely careful. i'm surrounded by bodyguards. i'm surrounded by people, and i always tell them anywhere, but i always tell them if i'm leaving this country be very careful because in your hotel rooms and no matter where you go, you are going to probably have cameras. i'm not referring just to russia, but i would certainly put them in that category. number one, i hope you are going to be good anyway, but in those rooms, you have cameras in the strangest places. cameras that are so small with modern technology you can't see them and you won't know. you better be careful or you'll

be watching yourself on nightly television. i tell this to people all the time. somebody released it, it should never have been -- number one, shouldn't have even entered paper, but it should never have been released. i read what was released, and i think it's a disgrace. i think it's an absolute disgrace. as far as hacking, i think it was russia, but i think we also get hacked by other countries and other people. hacking is bad, and it shouldn't be done, but look at the things that were hacked. look at what was learned from that hacking. that hillary clinton got the questions to the debate and didn't report it. that's a horrible thing. that's a horrible thing. can you imagine that if donald trump got the questions to the debate? it would have been the biggest story in the history of stories, and they would have said immediately you have to get out of the race. no ebb evven talked about it.

if putin likes donald trump, i consider that an asset, not a liability because we have a horrible relationship with russia. russia could help us fight isis, which, by the way, is number one, tricky. i mean, if you look, this administration created isis by leaving at the wrong time. the void was created. isis was formed. if putin likes donald trump, guess what, folks. that's called an asset, not a liability. now, i don't know that i'm going to get along with vladimir putin. i hope i do. but there's a good chance i won't. if i don't, do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me? does anybody in this room really believe that? give me a break. >> we're going to create jobs. i said that i will be the greatest jobs producer that god ever created, and i mean that. i really -- i'm going to work very hard on that. we need certain amounts of other things, including a little bit of luck, but i think we're going

to do a real job and i'm very proud of what we've done. >> let's bring in our panel. a lot to assess based on what we just heard. our cnn political analyst dade gregory is with us. our chief political correspondent dana bash, our chief national security correspondent jim schudo. april ryan. our cnn political commentator, the spokeswoman for the bernie sanders presidential campaign, simone sanders, and our cnn commentator, former communications director for the republican national committee doug high. david gregory, let me get your thoughts. this has been a pretty remarkable day. the breadth that -- the tone, the substance of what we heard from the president-elect. >> yeah. we heard a first definitive statement from him that he thinks russia was behind the hacking and he still wants to have some kind of reset. there is still this naivete that because he is donald trump and he is a big businessman that vladimir putin is going to respect him. i don't know what the basis for that is for real. it's also interesting to put

into context. does president-elect trump, who thinks that the intelligence agency heads have politicized this information, this man who suggested that our current president of the united states was not born an american citizen and demanned he produce a birth certificate. if the roles were deversed and there was an incoming president obama who was potentially compromised by a foreign power, would he not want that information shared and briefed? i mean, i think it's such hypocrisy, and i think it has been said here throughout the morning, it is a very difficult way for him to start a relationship with the intelligence community for something that is complex, that is difficult, and that i think should be treated with due care and restraint as cnn has when you are dealing with this kind of information. nevertheless, the intelligence committee did what he did in terms of briefing him. >> dana, take a look at the live pictures coming in from the senate judiciary committee. senator cory booker is now in the room he is a senator who is

going to testify against the sitting senator nominated. john lewis, the civil rights icon, member of the house of representatives, he is there as well. he will be testifying against senator sessions as well. we're going to have live coverage of that coming up, but it's pretty extraordinary for one sitting senator to testify against another sitting senator who has been nominated for a cabinet position. >> and not just extraordinary. unprecedented. the reason we can say that is because cory booker's own staff went to the senate historian's office to check on whether or not a sitting senator has testified in open session like this against a colleague, somebody who is a current senator, and the answer they got from the senate historian was no. just even the fact that they sought out that information tells us that that is part of why he wants to do this. to make a splash in a way that we haven't seen before. look, there are lots of quotes

that are sort of out there that a lot of jeff sessions supporters are reminding people of nice things that cory booker has said about jeff sessions. not just as a colleague, but with regard to the specific thing he is going to talk about today. his civil rights record, his voting rights record and so forth. regardless of that, this is going to be extraordinary, and it will be highly, highly partisan. the attorney general role has been partisan before. the confirmation process, i remember sitting in that room for john ashcroft's confirmation. this takes it to a new level. it just does. it's definitely about policy differences, but when you are talking about a member of the club speaking out so vocally about another member, it is -- it's going to be really striking to watch. >> you know, april, as you know, there's also going to be testimony going senator sessions from congressman cedric richmond, the new chairman of the congressional black kcaucus

as well as cornell brooks from the naacp who was arrested in mobile, alabama, in the alabama offices of senator sessions protesting his nomination. >> also, congressman john lewis. the those members are there rallying. >> the congressional black caucus. >> the congressional black caucus members. they are very concerned about the civil rights record or lack thereof when it comes to senator sessions. they're very concerned with the issue of voting rights. this is the first time in 50 years that we had an election without the full enforcement of voting rights. they're very concerned about that. they're also concerned -- you mentioned cornell brooks -- about the issue of the fact that even though sessions said he did not do it, the fact that it is on the record that he said the words unamerican about the naacp and the aclu, so there the naacp is very concerned about that. when i talked to some people who are in the room, who are surrounding those in the room,

they're saying this has to happen, and people in the room yesterday someone who actually -- a democrat who actually questioned sessions, he said basically there are land mines that sessions was talking about and there are misstatements, and i believe the cbc is going to try to correct those misstatements today in their testimony. >> the word unamerican about the naacp, that was uttered supposedly 30 years ago. >> right. >> sessions strongly denies that he ever -- >> they are very upset. they are saying what happened yesterday still pertains to today. it's about consistency or lack thereof. >> in the end, doug, the republicans probably will have the votes in the senate to get him confirmed. >> the fact that susan collins who is usually one of the republicans people look to peel away from controversial or conservative republicans who are nominated was there introducing him says that he will probably get the votes from republicans, but we also need to look at cory booker, not just with the policy differences. this is the start of the 2020 campaign, and by coming out so forcefully against jeff sessions, obviously republicans have had not just over the past election cycle, but over the

past eight years a lot of ugly rhetoric on race specifically about the president and the first lady. these are stains on the party's soul. where we can have policy differences and find out where there are places of agreement where jeff sessions wants to do, that's a place to move forward. this is a political move by cory booker. i think it's a smart political move, but it's a political move. >> just to put a point on that, you're right. there's no way that this is not political. in addition to genuine policy differences, i'm not taking that away from hum because he has been a leader on these issues. his parents were civil rights leaders. i get that. also looking forward at where the democratic party goes and how they pick up the pieces and the kind of focus that they have, he is trying to be an early leader in this move. >> you are right. excuse me. i will say this. you have to remember that if sessions is confirmed and he probably will be, he will be the next a.g. he is also going to vet the next -- he will be part of the

vetting group of the next supreme court justice. maybe three of them. if you have a history or a thought of being someone who is not inclusive, that is a concern. that is a real concern beyond politics. >> was very praise-worthy of him. >> absolutely. they worked together on rosa parks legislation and others, says and i believe that he were this together in selma as part of that, and that is where he praised jeff sessions on this particular issue. >> senator grassley is the chairman. he has convened this next

session. i want to listen in. witness for five minutes. we've agreed that we won't ask any questions of the witness, and we'll adjourn when we've heard the last witness, and now i would like to introduce witnesses. >> mr. chairman, we know that the attorney general's is responseible for protecting civil and human rights of americans, and that's whyngress lewis, congressman richmond brings a discussion and important perspective about the basic rights enshrined in the constitution. we try to form a more perfect union that continues with every generation. congressman lewis has been a friend of mine for decades.

we served together. nearly gave his life for that effort. i invited congressman lewis's committee before for important conversations about marriage equality, voting rights. the steaks are just as hiakes a. that's not the way i as chairman would do and other chairman have, but that's what we have. i commend senator booker and representative lewis, representative richmond for their courage. i'm proud to serve with them. i thank them for being here. >> thank you. senator leahy. my colleague, senator booker is from new jersey. i know him well. we all know him. we appreciate your coming over to testify.

we will hear from mr. willie huntley. mr. huntley is former assistant u.s. attorney in the southern district of alabama who worked under senator sessions when he served as u.s. attorney there, and he has known senator sessions for nearly 30 years. then we will hear from a well known civil rights leader, representative john lewis, says who represents georgia's fifth district. welcome back to the committee, congressman lewis. it's always good to have you here. after representative lewis, we will hear from the honorable jesse -- who served as u.s. marshall for the middle district of alabama 2002 to 2011. he first got to know senator sessions in 1995 when he worked for him in the alabama attorney general's office. next, we will hear from

representative cedric richard who serves the people of louisiana's second congressional district and is chair of the congressional black caucus. welcome to the committee, congressman richmond. finally, we will hear from mr. williams smith. mr. smith worked for senator sessions as the first african-american general counsel on the senate judiciary committee. he has known senator sessions for 20 years, and we know him because that service as a staff person here as well. welcome to all of you, and we'll start with senator booker. >> thank you, chairman grassley. i want to thank senator leahy as well, as well as the distinguished members of this committee. i know it is exceptional for a senator to testify against another senator nominated for a cabinet position, and i appreciate the opportunity you've given me today. i work closely with many of you on this panel on both sides of

the daes on matters related to criminal justice reform, and you know just how deeply motivated i am by the many issues our next attorney general will heavily influence, especially the crisis of mass incarceration. i know that some of my many colleagues aren't happy that i amle bre-- aren't happy that i breaking senate tradition, but i believe, like perhaps all of my colleagues in the senate, that in the choice between standing with senate norms or standing up for what my conscious tells me is best for our country, i will always choose conscience and country. while senator sessions and i have consistently disagreed on the issues, he and i have always exercised a collegiality and a respect between us. the best example of this is the legislation we co-sponsored to award the congressional gold medal to those foot soldiers who marched at selma.

one of the foot soldiers is sitting next to me now. this was a blessing and an honor to me because in 2015 a retired judge who was white told me that it was those brave marchers on the bridge who inspired him as a young lawyer in the 1960s to seek justice for all in new jersey and begin representing black families looking to integrate white neighborhoods. black families turned away and denied housing. one of those families was mine. i am literally sitting here because of people, marchers in alabama, volunteer lawyers in new jersey who saw it as their affirmative duty to pursue justice, to fight discrimination, to stand up for those who are marginalized, but the march for justice in our country still continues. it is still urgent. i know also, though, of the urgency for law and order.

i imagine that no sitting senator has lived within the last 20 years in higher crime neighborhoods than i have. i have seen unimaginable violence on american streets. i know the tremendous courage of law enforcement who put their lives on the line every single day to fight crime in america. i want an attorney general who is committed to supporting law enforcement and securing law and order, but that is not enough. america was founded heralding not law and order, but justice for all and critical to that is equal justice under the law. law and order without justice is unobtainable. they are inextricably tied together. if there is no justice, there is no peace. the alabama state troopers on the bridge were seeking law and order. the marchers were seeking

justice and ultimately a greater peace. one of the victories of the modern civil rights movement was the 1957 civil rights act which, in this effect, made the attorney general not only the chief law enforcement officer of the united states but also vested in that office the responsibility to pursue civil rights and equal protection for all of americans. senator sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central recolleprerequisite of to demand equal rights and justice for all of our citizens. in fact, at numerous times in his career he has demonstrated a hostility towards these convictions and has work to frustrate attempts to advance these ideals. if it confirmed senator sessions will be required to pursue justice for women, but his record indicates that he won't.

he will be expected to defend the equal rights of gay and lesbian and transgender americans, but his record indicates that he won't. he will be expected to defend voting rights, but his record indicates that he won't. he will be expected to defend the rights of immigrants and affirm their human dignity, but the record indicates that he won't. his record indicates that as attorney general he would object to the growing national bipartisan movement towards criminal justice reform. his record indicates that we cannot count on him to support state and national efforts towards bringing justice to the justice system and people on both sides of the aisle who readily admit that the justice system as it stands now is biassed against the poor, against drug addicted, against mentally ill and against people of color. his record indicates that at times even the fbi director is speaking out against implicit

racial bias and policing and the urgent need to address it at a time when the last two attorney generals have taken steps to fix our broken criminal justice system, at a time when the justice department he would led -- we would lead has uncovered systemic abuses in police departments all over the united states, including ferguson, including newark. senator sessions would not continue to lead this urgently needed change. the next attorney general must bring hope and healing to this country, and this demands a more courageous empathy than senator sessions' record demonstrates. it demands that understanding patriotism, his love of country and love of country demands that we love all of our citizens even the most marginalized, the most disadvantaged, the most degraded, and the most unfortunate.

challenges of race in america cannot be addressed if we refuse to confront them. persistent biases cannot be defended unless we combat them. the ark of the moral universe does not just naturally curve towards justice. we must bend it. if one is to be attorney general, they must be willing to continue the hallowed tradition in our country of fighting for justice for all, for equal justice, for civil rights. america needs an attorney general who is resolute and determined to bend the arch. senator sessions' record does not speak to that desire, intention, or will. with all that's at stake in our nation now, with urgent need tore healing and love, i pray that my colleagues will join me in opposing his nomination. mr. chairman, my time is over. i would like to submit the rest of my testimony to the record. i would like to, again, thank you for your opportunity to testify and, finally, i would

like to acknowledge it was not done that sitting behind me are proud members of the united states congress and the congressional black caucus. thank you, sir. >> and you shouldn't have had to recognize them. i should have done that. i'm sorry. >> thank you, sir. >> because i knew they were here. mr. huntley. >> good afternoon. >> you got to push the button. >> i see. thank you. i'll start over. >> you might pull the mike a little closer. get as close as you can. >> good afternoon. that's much better. my name is willie huntley, and i'm an attorney located in mobile, alabama. i'm a solo practitioner, and i have been practicing law for over 30 years. i'm a graduate of auburn university where i attended college on a football scholarship. i graduated from auburn in 1980, and i attended cumberland law school after that.

i finished cumberland law school in 1984. after i finished law school, i started a federal clerkship with a federal judge in montgomery, alabama. after i completed that process, i began a tour as an assistant district attorney in macon county, alabama. i was there from 1985 to 1987. then my life changed. i got a phone call one day and my secretary comes in the office, and she says jeff sessions is on the phone. i'm sitting there wondering why is jeff sessions calling me. i was well aware of the allegations that had happened in his bid to become a federal judge, which made me wonder why he was calling me. i answered the phone, and then i find out that jeff sessions wants me to become an assistant united states attorney in the southern district of alabama. this presented an ideal

situation, so i decided to take advantage of that. the first time i actually met him was at a dinner in montgomery. that dinner was supposed to last probably an hour, hour and a half. we ended up meeting for about three hours. during that time period, we discussed a number of topics. football, religion, politics, family. we talked about all those things. during the course of that meeting with him, i got the feeling more and more and more that the allegations that had been spread through the press weren't true. i also was contemplating whether i should make this move because i thought if i go to mobile, i don't know anybody there. i have no family there. what if this man turns out to be exactly how he has been portrayed? fortunately, it didn't turn out like that. i was at the u.s. attorney's office from 1987 to 1991.

he assigned me the general criminal trial cases. he also assigned me to civil rights cases, and i would supervise all the civil rights cases that came through the office. during this time period, i can recall where we successfully prosecuted a police officer that was charged with excessive use of force. unfortunately, i made a decision to leave the u.s. attorney's office in 1991. that decision wasn't based on anything that had happened to me during my time period in the u.s. attorney's office. during that time period, jeff gave me advice, counsel. he provided a great deal of support in everything that i did. one thing in particular that he did was my second child was born and there was a knock on the door that morning and through the door walks jeff sessions.

after i left the u.s. attorney's office, jeff became the attorney general of alabama. he asked me to join his staff at that time, but i declined to join his staff. however, he made me a special assistant attorney general, and he put me in charge of handling defense cases for the state of alabama. also during this time period, jeff became charnled with violating the state of alabama's ethics act. it involved a company by the name of tyco. jeff sessions could have hired any lawyer he wanted to to represent him in that matter. jeff decided to hire me in that particular case. we had that case, and during the course of it, it was probably the longest hearing that had ever been held before the state ethics commission. at that point jeff was fully exonerated of all the charges involved in the state ethics t act.

one of the things that i can say about jeff is that he has always been the same person that i have known. he has always been available for me and always been there when i needed him. at no point in the time that i have known jeff has he demonstrated any racial insensitivity. i see my time is rapidly winding down, and i would just like to say that in my opinion jeff sessions will enforce and follow the laws of the united states even-handedly, equally, and with justice for all. jeff sessions will adhere to the mot motto. it means for the lady justice jeff will protect and defend the rights of all people. thank you so much for this opportunity. >> thank you. now we'll hear from congressman john lewis. >> chairman grassley, senator

leahy, and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. millions of americans are encouraged by our country's efforts to create a more inclusive democracy. during the last 50 years during what some of us call the beloved community, a community at peace with itself. they are not a minority. a clear majority of americans say they want this to be a fair, just, and open nation. they are afraid that this country is headed in the wrong direction. they're concerned that some leaders reject decades of progress and want to return to the dark past when the power was

used to deny freedoms protected by the constitution. the bill of rights and its amendments, these are the voices i represent today. we can pretend that the law is blind. we can pretend that it is even-handed, but if we are honest with ourselves we know we are called upon daily by the people we represent to help them deal with unfairness in how the law is written and enforced. those who are committed to equal justice in our society wonder whether senator sessions called for law and order. does it mean today what it meant when i was coming up in alabama. it's used to -- in the human and

civil rights of the poor, the dispossessed people of color. i was born in rural alabama. not very far from where senator sessions was raised. there was no way to escape or deny the choke hold of discrimination and racial hate that surrounded us. i saw the signs that said white waiting, colored waiting. i saw the signs that said white men, colored men, white women, colored women. i tasted the bitter fruits of segregation and racial discrimination. segregation was the law of the land that ordered our society in the deep south. any black person who did not cross the street when a white person was walking down the same sidewalk, who did not move to

the back of the bus, who drank from a white water fountain, who looked a white person directly in the eyes could be arrested and taken to jail. the forces of law and order in alabama were so strong that to take a stand against this injustice we had to be willing to sacrifice our lives for our cause. often the only way we could demonstrate that a law on the books violated a higher law was by challenging that law by putting our bodies on the line and showing the world the unholy price we had to pay for dignity and respect. it took massive well organized nonviolent disent for the voting rights act to become law.

it required criticism in this great nation and its laws to move toward a greater sense of equality in america. we had to sit in. we had to stand in. we had to march. that's why more than 50 years ago a group of unarmed citizens, black and white, gather on march 7, 1965, in an orderly and peaceful nonviolent fashion to walk from selma to montgomery, alabama, to dramatize to the nation and to the world that we wanted to register to vote. wanted to become participants in a democratic process. we were beaten, tear gassed,

left bloody. some of us unconscious. some of us had concussions. some of us almost died on that bridge. but the congress spopded. president lyndon johnson responded. a voting rights act was signed into law in 1965. we've come a distance. we've made progress, but we're not there yet. there are forces that assemble to take us back to another place. we don't want to go back. we want to go forward. it's the late randolph who was the dean of the march on washington in 1963 often said, maybe our forefathers and our foremothers all came to this great land in different ships, but we all in the same boat now. it doesn't matter how senator sessions may smile, how friendly he may be, how he may speak to

you, but we need someone who is going to stand up, speak up, and speak out for the people that need help, for people who have been discriminated against, and it doesn't matter if they're black or white, latino, asian-american or native-american, whether they're straight or gay, muslim, christian, or jews. we all live in the same house. the american house. we need someone as attorney general that's going to look out for all of us. not just for some of us. i've run out of time. thank you for giving me a chance to testify. >> thank you, congressman lewis. now i go to mr. sawyer. >> gentlemen, it's an honor for me to be here, and thank you for your time. my name is justice roy jr.

i've been in law enforcement since 1976 to 2016. i've served in local police departments for 11 years, served in the united states marshall service for eight and a half years, served in the attorney general's office for 20 1/2 years. i first met jeff sessions when he was with the district of alabama in the southern district. i'm sorry. jeff was prosecuted at that time a klansman by the name of henry hayes. jeff prosecuted that person for the abduction and murder of a black teenager. following jeff's election as attorney general, i had the privilege to serve with him in his administration as his chief investigator. the beginning of jeff's tenure as attorney general presented senator sessions withal cha engz that included budget crisis and a one-third reduction of staff. things that jeff did when we

came with the budget crisis and the reduction of staff, there were several people in the office that had to seek other jobs elsewhere. as a black investigator in the office that came and had less than a year left before he was eligible to retire. jeff sessions allowed that to take place. he didn't have to do that. he did not have to do that at all because the situation that we were in jeff sessions retained me. he did not have to do that. he did. following the election, you know, we were charged with the responsibilities of a lot of crimes and the expectations of attorney general was charged with the responsibility of working various cases which included white collar crimes, public corruption, voter fraud, and criminal investigations. as i reflect on our work there was never a time when any of

these cases was investigated with any political agenda or motive. the utmost respect and integrity was exercised for all individuals involved. jeff sessions' service and decisions as attorney general earned him a reputation and respect among his colleagues in appreciation for his willingness to do what was right. when jeff sessions got to the u.s. senate as attorney general he had upheld the conviction and sentence of klansman henry hayes for the murder of michael donald. when jeff sessions became u.s. senator, he helped me be appointed for the u.s. state marshall for the middle district of alabama. he did not have to do that, but he did. i've known jeff sessions for 20 years. he is a good and decent man. he believes in law and order for all the people. all the people in alabama

because of his colleagues and all that surrounded him. the things he has done for the law enforcement community and the citizens of alabama is great. it's without any question as to whether or not he would be fit to serve this country as the united states attorney general. now, i did not learn these things from a political press conference, any website where i read about it. i know jeff sessions as the man. the man that i know is a decent and honest and respectful man that would put all of his life into public service because he has done that. when we talk about the criminal justice system, we enforce the laws, and we do it because we have a love for the laws. jeff sessions loves the people that do the enforcement side of it. he respects the citizens that deserve a good and honest person that's going to give all he has

to make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law. his decency as a man and his honesty as a man speak for itself. he is the type of individual that i support for the united states attorney general's office because of my reputation and his history with me as a person and the things that i have seen over the years in jeff sessions. it's hard being a public servant. i have been in law enforcement for 40 years. it's a tough job. we don't violate the laws. we don't get out there and do things that would cause ourselves to be brought into the system, and i'm not saying everybody is the same, but i believe that he will take hold of the justice system, justice department, and he will be fair. he will be honest, and he will do the same thing for every person with honesty and respect for all of us. my time is up. thank you for listening.

>> thank you. now congressman richmond. congressman richmond. wait just a minute, congressman. >> let me thank the chairman and ranking member for allowing me to testify. [ people yelling ] >> i would ask you to hold. you won't lose any time. [ people yelling ] >> it's not fair. you torture people. >> okay. proceed, congressman. >> let me thank the chairman and ranking member for allowing me to testify. the senate's duty to provide advice and consent to presidential nominees is a fundamental component of

american democracy. i know that you do not take this responsibility lightly. before i jump into my substantive testimony, i want to address two timely issues. first, i want to express my concerns about being made to testify at the very end of the witness panels. to have a senator, a house member, and a living civil rights legend testify at the end of all of this is the equivalent of being made to go to the back of the bus. it is a petty strategy and the record should reflect my consternation at the unprecedented process that brought us here. my record on equality speaks for icht itself, and i don't mind being last, but to have a living legend like john lewis handled in such a fashion is beyond the pale and the message sent by this process is dually noted by me and the 49 members of the congressional black caucus and the 78 million americans we

represent and the over 17 african-americans that we represent. further, on the issue of senator sessions' record of prosecuting the marion three, stemming from a complaint filed by african-americans i say the following. history is replete with efforts by those in power to legitimatize their acts of suppression and intimidation of black voters by recruiting other blacks to assist in bringing trumped up charges against law-abiding citizens who are engaged in perfectly legitimate voter education and empowerment activities. those tactics were effectively used against former congressman robert smalls and hundreds if not thousands of black office holders and land holders in our post-reconstruction era, and they were used several years ago against mr. and mrs. alfred turner who were discussed by this committee yesterday. the declaration of independence

set forth the idea of universal equality, but it is the 14th amendment to our constitution in its equal protection clause that has helped bring us closer to fulfilling that foundational principle and bringing us closer to a more perfect union. all cabinet officials have a responsibility to protect the interest of all of the american people, but there is no office for which the duty to apply the law equally is greater than that of the attorney general. in my capacity as chairman of the congressional black caucus, i urge you to reject senator segmen sessions' nomination. throughout our nation's history, attorney generals have used the resources of the federal government to vindicate the right of most -- of the most vulnerable in society. after the civil war the first attorney general to lead the d.o.j. prosecuted the kkk for its widespread use of violence aimed at suppressing the black vote. this facilitated massive black

voting turnout in 1872 for the first time in our nation's history former slaves were afforded the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. simply put, senator sessions has advanced an agenda that will do great harm to aftrican-american citizens and communities. for this reason the cbc believes senator sessions should be disqualified. he has demonstrated a total disregard for the equal application of justice and protection of the law as it applies to african-americans and falls short on so many issues. jeff sessions supports a system of mass incarceration that has disproportionately targeted african-american citizens and devastated african-american communities. he opposed commonsense bipartisan criminal justice reform and jeff sessions cannot be relied upon to enforce the voting rights act. in his decades long career in

public life, senator sessions has proven himself unfit to serve in a role as attorney general. i would not have the opportunity to testify today if not for men like john lewis who was beaten within an inch of his life in his pursuit for the right to vote for african-americans. it's a shame that he must sit here and relitigate this 50 years later. we sit here as the prodigy of men and women who were bought, sold, enslaved, raped, tortured, beaten, and lynched. black people were bought as chattel and considered three-fifths of a human being. however, we have been able to endure and largely overcome that history thanks in part to brave men and women both democrat and republican who sat where you sit and cast often difficult votes for freedom and equality. these senators fought public opinion and even their own party to do what was right. i come before you today asking you to do the same.

now, you all must face a choice. be courageous or be complicity. if you vote to confirm senator sessions, you take ownership of everything he may do or not do in office. he has no track record of fighting for justice for minorities despite the characterizations that you have heard from others today. he and his supporters have told you that he is a champion for civil rights and ekbault, characterization and revisionist histories are not the same things as facts. he is on the record on numerous issues. i have provided just a few examples today. let's think about this logically. if he were, in fact, a champion for civil rights, wouldn't the civil rights community support his nomination instead of speaking with one voice in near unanimous opposition? in closing, each and every senator who cast a vote to confirm senator sessions will be permanently marked as a co-conspirator in an effort to move this country backwards towards a darker period in our

shared history. so i ask you all where do you stand? it is clear from senator sessions' record where he stands. when you stand with him and allow history to judge you for doing so. i implore you all to weigh these questions properly as you prepare to cast what will be one of the most consequential votes in your time as united states senator. a legal term that said -- which means the thing speaks for itself. senator sessions' record speaks for itself, and i would urge you not to confirm senator sessions as attorney general of the united states, and thank you, mr. chairman, for allowing me to go over. >> thank you, congressman richmond. now i call on mr. smith. >> i ask that my written statement be made a part of the record. >> it will be, and that's true of senator booker and anybody else that didn't get their entire statement put in the record. it will be in the record. yes. >> it's an honor for me to be

here today to support senator sessions to be the next attorney general of the united states of america. he will do an outstanding job. the american people had an toont to witness yesterday through his testimony a brilliant legal mind, a man of the highest character and great integrity. let me briefly address this legal mind. as a staffer, your . senator sessions made this difficult. i remember one hearing passing senator sessions note after note to make sure he was prepared. when he didn't speak on the topic i hand him i would hand him another topic. finally he decided to speak. he crushed it yesterday. he was not ignoring my notes. he was systemically thinking about how to put all the notes together in one speech. a number of my colleagues were amazed by his speech and asked me afterwards what did you say to him in those notes, i told

them i handed him a blank sheet of paper and told him to make me look booegood. he made a bunch of staffers look good. a lot has been said about senator sessions' character. we have seen people who have never met senator sessions claim to know him and his heart. we have seen members of this body and house of representatives just now who have worked with senator sessions and praise him for his work and now attack him. this should not be. the reason we did not see a lot of this yesterday is because members of this committee know senator sessions. you know he's a strong conservative, but know he is fair and honest. if you disagree with him because of his political views let's do that, but not on 30 years of innuendos and allegations

disproven. there is something very consistent about aiding african-american communities on crack and cocaine and then criticizing him on immigration laws. enforcing laws is not out of the mainstream. there was personal attack after personal attack. i doubt any one of those individuals attack senator sessions outside of yesterday has spent 30 minutes in the same room with him. that's 30 minutes in the same room, not talking to him. i doubt any of them have spent 30 minutes talking to senator sessions. this process should be about facts not about political aspirations. every allegation and witness from 30 years ago has been discredited. members and the media should

move on. senator sessions testified yesterday he would enforce the laws whether he agreed with them or not. if you come before jeff sessions you will get equal justice and respect the outcome even if you lose. how do i know this? i know it because i know jeff sessions. i'm not testifying to someone o who just met him yesterday. i've known his family, eaten at his house. ate johnny rockets burger, and order a blizzard from dairy queen, quote heavy on the heath. i've been in every political situation with him. senator sessions is professionally qualified for the job.

he is a good christian man, and a good family man, man who has dedicated his public life to service and fauought for disenfranchise, he accomplished it. he fought for civil rights and against the ku klux klan and fought for people regardless of the color of their skin and the way it should be. after twenty years of knowing senator sessions i have not seen the slightest evidence of racism because it does not exist. i know a racist when i've seen one and i've seen more than one, but jeff sessions is not one. senator sessions has served with distinction throughout his career as a united states attorney, as attorney general of alabama and as a member of this body. the legal profession is better for his service. this body is better for his service and this country at the

end of hthis term will be bette because of his service. he has been kurtiocourteous and. not showing favoritism. this is the kind of attorney general this country needs. i applaud his election thank you. >> this record will stay open until tuesday and i thank all of you for your testimony and the hearing is adjourned. very important testimony just now before the senate judiciary testimony involving senator jeff sessions who has been nominated to become the next attorney general of the united states. you heard three of his supporters men who know him well, worked with him in the african-american community

testifying how great a man he is but also jeff booker a sitting u.s. senator for the first time testified against another u.s. senator who is seeking a cabinet position. john lewis, we also hueard from the civil rights icon. i didn't specifically hear him say don't vote to confirm senator sessions and also senator richmond and chairman of the black caucus who did oppose the nomination. dana, it's going to be presumably a relatively close vote although the republicans have the majority. >> the republicans do have the majority and first talking about the committee vote which should come first, there are rules that allow them to circumvent that if need be. it looks like he's probably going to be okay. they have only like the razorist thin majority there, but the fact that he, jeff sessions, has

support from the broad spectrum of his own party from susan collins who introduced him yesterday to obviously his conservative brethren in the republican caucus it will probably be okay, i think the question is at this point how many democrats who know jeff sessions and have worked with jeff sessions an maybe more importantly sort of view the role of the president and the idea that the president can choose the person he wants for these positions just like many republicans did for president obama if they support him but at the end of the day taking it back to put a button on a extraordinary moment that we saw cory booker a sitting senator. somebody who hasn't sat in the senate very long but in the short time he's been there he has experience with jeff sessions on civil rights issues, not anything more than symbol i

can, they have worked together and talked about this and still felt if need to come out publicly and say that he does not believe that jeff sessions needs to be the top law enforcement official of this administration. stand by we have a lot more coming up. president-elect trump holds his first full flejed news conference. you will hear what he had to say about the russian hacking and much more next.

hello i'm wolf blitzer in washington continuing our special coverage of hearings on