Former U.S. Attorney General is surprising many in Democrat circles by seemingly defending Alabama’s Jeff Sessions, who has been labeled as an enemy of the left. Holder’s message: Give the new A.G. a chance.
During a speaking event at the University at Buffalo last week, Holder disagreed that Sessions carried extreme positions.
“It seems you ought to give people a chance, unless they’re wholly unqualified,” Holder said, according to the Buffalo News. “He may end up surprising us and he maybe will say, ‘This is who I always was,’ and I may end up saying, ‘Well I’ve seen growth then.'”
Unlike others on the left, Holder did not oppose then-Senator Sessions’ nomination as Attorney General. He added that he planned to be “sparing” in criticism.
“I know how tough the job is,” he said. “I know how tough the decisions are.”
Since President Trump announced Sessions as his pick to lead the Justice Department, he had been pelted by debunked attacks questioning his record on civil rights. During the Buffalo event, Holder repeated some of the accusations against Sessions, claiming that he thought the newly-sworn in Attorney General might cross “some red lines” on voting rights.
Prior to being voted in as Attorney General by his Senate colleagues, African-American Alabamians from both sides of the aisle were quick to testify in favor of Sessions’ character.
Jesse Seroyer, a former U.S. Marshall from Montgomery, was one witness who described Sessions as willing “to do what was right for all the people of Alabama.” During a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill, he described the former Alabama Senator’s dedication to fairness, and pushed back against those who painted Sessions in a negative light based solely off news reports.
“I did not learn these things from a political press conference or any website. I know Jeff Sessions as the man,” he continued.
“The citizens deserve a good and honest person whose going to give all he has to ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law. But his goodness as a man, and his honesty as a man speaks for itself,” he added.
Sessions served in the United States Senate since 1997, and prior to that was a US Attorney and Alabama Attorney General. He was the first U.S. Senator to endorse now-President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and was confirmed for the post on February 8.
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