News article:

Washington (CNN) The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as the next attorney general, surviving a vocal push by Democrats to derail his nomination. 
  
 The 52-47 vote was mostly along party lines, though one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, joined the Republicans to back their Alabama colleague. 
  
 The final vote for Sessions -- one of Trump's closest advisers and his earliest supporter in the Senate -- came after 30 hours of debate from Democrats and a stunning fight between liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senate Republicans which ended in her being forced to sit down after she was accused of impugning Sessions. 
  
 Sessions said he would resign from his office 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and the White House is scheduled to swear him in Thursday morning. 
  
 "It was a special night," Sessions told reporters on Capitol Hill after his confirmation. "I appreciate the friendship from my colleagues -- even those who, many of them who didn't feel able to vote for me. They were cordial, and so we continue to have good relations and will continue to do the best I can." 
  
 The fight over Sessions nomination spurred some of the most jarring, and at times personal attacks, rooted in allegations that Sessions was a racist -- claims the Alabama senator and his supporters have fiercely denied. Even early in the nomination process, one of Sessions' colleagues, Cory Booker, became the first sitting senator to testify against another sitting senator during his confirmation hearing. 
  
 Shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor to sing the praises of Sessions, after Democrats spent hours criticizing him. 
  
 "He's just a likable guy, one of the most humble and most considerate people you'll ever meet," McConnell said. "He's a true Southern gentleman." 
  
 While some left-leaning groups issued statements promising to stand up and continue raising awareness about their disagreements with Sessions, Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe questioned how effective they could be in trying to keep up the fight. 
  
 "What are they going to do? He's the attorney general. Where does the fight start? Where's the ammunition?" He said to reporters. 
  
 In the debate Tuesday evening, after Republicans already blocked a Senate filibuster, Warren reignited that debate by reading from a 1986 letter Coretta Scott King sent opposing Sessions for a federal judgeship. 
  
 "'Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elevated to our courts,'" Warren read from King's letter. McConnell accused Warren of impugning Sessions on the Senate floor -- a violation of Senate rules -- and after a series of procedural votes, she was forced to sit down and stop debating. 
  
 Warren's censure and subsequent reaction continued to largely overshadow the Sessions fight in the hours before his vote, but the Massachusetts Democrat told CNN's Manu Raju said Sessions, whom she served with in the chamber, is just the latest example of a poor Cabinet choice. 
  
 "We may not have the votes to stop him," she said, "but we sure as hell need to make it clear to the Republicans and to the American people exactly who Donald Trump is putting in charge of our government." 
  
 Sessions was ultimately blocked from a federal judgeship and carried that battle scar into Wednesday's final confirmation battle. 
  
 Democrats not done yet on nominees 
  
 Democrats are expected to repeat the same 30-hour debate plan for Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Tom Price and could easily drag the fight over Treasury pick Steven Mnuchin into the weekend. 
  
 Tuesday, Betsy DeVos was confirmed, 51-50, in a battle that sparked impassioned protests and the flooding of Senate switchboards by angry Democrats and liberal activists. 
  
 The tactics have yet to work in actually defeating any of Trump's Cabinet picks, but they have fired up a base of Democratic and liberal activists irate over a series of Trump actions, not least of which was picking a Republican mega-donor in DeVos to run the Department of Education. 
  
 "When you get millions of calls and demonstrations and a nominee is exposed for being who they are, it's going to have a profound and positive effect, even if she gains office. So we're very happy with the results and we're going to continue them," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. 
  
 But Republicans have chafed at what they call "historic obstruction" and have argued that Trump needs his team in place. 
  
 "This is the slowest time for a new Cabinet to be up and running since George Washington. This level of obstruction at the beginning of an administration is really record-setting in a very unfortunate way. It's really time for our friends on the other side to get over the election, let this administration get up and get running," McConnell said Tuesday. 
  
 The only nominee who appears to be in any trouble at this point is Labor secretary pick Andrew Puzder, who is embroiled in controversy following news that he hired an undocumented worker to clean his house and was forced to pay back taxes. A series of Republicans on the Senate panel tasked with vetting him declined to say Tuesday whether they still supported Puzder. ||||| Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., leaves his office on Capitol Hill in Washington early Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. The Alabama Republican appears headed toward confirmation by a nearly... (Associated Press) 
  
 Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., leaves his office on Capitol Hill in Washington early Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. The Alabama Republican appears headed toward confirmation by a nearly party-line vote after Democrats harshly criticized him for being too close to Trump, too harsh... (Associated Press) 
  
 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions to be attorney general in the Trump administration despite fierce Democratic opposition to the Alabama Republican over his record on civil rights and immigration. 
  
 The 52-47 nearly party-line vote capped weeks of divisive battles over Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and one of the Senate's most conservative lawmakers. 
  
 Democrats laced into Sessions, casting him as too cozy with Trump and too harsh on immigrants. They asserted he wouldn't do enough to protect voting rights of minorities, protections for gays and the legal right of women to obtain an abortion. They fear immigrants in the country illegally won't receive due process with Session as the top law enforcement officer. 
  
 "Any attorney general must be able to stand firm for the rule of law even against the powerful executive that nominated him or her. In this administration I believe that independence is even more necessary," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "His (Sessions') record raises doubts about whether he can be a champion for those who need this office most and it also raises doubts about whether he can curb unlawful overreach" by Trump. 
  
 Republicans say Sessions has demonstrated over a long career in public service — and two decades in the Senate — that he possesses integrity, honesty and is committed to justice. 
  
 "He's honest. He's fair. He's been a friend to many of us, on both sides of the aisle," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. "It's been tough to watch all this good man has been put through in recent weeks. This is a well-qualified colleague with a deep reverence for the law. He believes strongly in the equal application of it to everyone." 
  
 Sessions won unanimous backing from Senate Republicans but picked up the support of just one Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia. 
  
 Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to name a replacement for sessions as early as Thursday. Bentley has named six finalists for the Senate appointment, including state Attorney General Luther Strange and GOP Rep. Robert Aderholt. 
  
 Strange is considered a leading candidate for the job since Bentley interviewed potential replacements for state attorney general, according to people close to the process. However, Bentley's office has said he has not made a decision. 
  
 Wednesday's vote came amid rising tension between Republicans controlling the chamber over delaying tactics by minority Democratic that have left fewer of Trump's picks in place than President Barack Obama had eight years ago. Democrats no longer have filibuster power over Cabinet picks, however, after changing Senate rules when they controlled the chamber in 2013. 
  
 Next up for the Senate is Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Trump's pick for health secretary. A final vote on Price could come late Thursday and success seemed certain. 
  
 Democrats have solidly opposed Price, a staunch advocate of repealing Obama's health care overhaul and reshaping and scaling back the Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide health care to older and low-income people. 
  
 But they've mostly accused Price, a wealthy former orthopedic surgeon, of conflicts of interest by acquiring stocks in health care companies and pushing legislation that could help those firms. 
  
 They've especially targeted his acquisition of shares in Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech firm that's said Price got a special insider's deal. Price, who has said he learned of the opportunity from a fellow lawmaker, Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., had testified to Congress that the shares were available to all investors. 
  
 "If I were a prosecutor, I'd say this case has real potential," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday. 
  
 This week has featured overnight, round-the-clock Senate sessions as GOP leaders are grinding through a thicket of controversial picks. 
  
 Epitomizing the sharp-edged partisanship surrounding confirmation of Trump's Cabinet nominees, Sen. Elizabeth Warren was given a rare rebuke Tuesday evening for quoting Coretta Scott King, widow of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., in her 1986 criticism of Sessions. 
  
 King wrote that as an acting federal prosecutor in Alabama, Sessions used his power to "chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens." 
  
 McConnell held that the Massachusetts Democrat had run afoul of rules about impugning a fellow senator. 
  
 Sessions' nomination to a federal judgeship was rejected three decades ago by the Senate Judiciary Committee after it was alleged that as a federal prosecutor he had called a black attorney "boy" and had said organizations like the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union were un-American. 
  
 At his hearing last month, Sessions said he had never harbored racial animus, saying he had been falsely caricatured. 
  
 ___ 
  
 Associated Press writer Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report. ||||| The Senate has voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as the next United States Attorney General. 
  
 The vote was 52-47, with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin crossing party lines to vote yes. 
  
 Senate Democrats fought Sessions’ nomination as much as they could, holding late night sessions both Monday and Tuesday to speak out against him. 
  
 There was a lot of fierce debate over the nomination, which led to the furor in the Senate chamber last night when Elizabeth Warren was reprimanded for quoting strong words slamming Sessions. 
  
 [image via screengrab] 
  
 — — 
  
 Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac 
  
 Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?
– The Senate confirmed Jeff Sessions as US Attorney General in a vote Wednesday night, Mediaite reports. Democrats put up what fight they could with late-night sessions on Monday and Tuesday—CNN reports they battled Sessions' confirmation for 30 hours on the Senate floor—but in the end it wasn't enough to block his confirmation. The vote, largely split along party lines, was 52-47, according to the AP. Every Republican senator voted for Sessions; Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote for him. Democrats attacked Sessions, one of President Trump's earliest backers, on his record on civil rights and immigration, arguing he wouldn't work to protect the voting rights of minorities, the rights of LGBT Americans, or the right of women to an abortion. Sessions has also been accused of being a racist, including in a 1986 letter by Coretta Scott King read by multiple Democrats during the lead-up to the vote. Shortly before Sessions was confirmed, Mitch McConnell called the senator from Alabama a "likable guy" and a "true Southern gentleman." A replacement for Sessions in the Senate is expected to be named as early as Thursday.
News article: Washington (CNN) Senaten röstade onsdag för att bekräfta Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama som nästa justitieminister, överleva en vokal push av demokrater för att spåra ur hans nominering. 52-47 rösten var mestadels enligt parti linjer, även om en demokrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, anslöt sig till republikanerna för att stödja deras Alabama kollega. Slutomröstningen för Sessions -- en av Trumps närmaste rådgivare och hans tidigaste anhängare i senaten -- kom efter 30 timmars debatt från Demokraterna och en fantastisk kamp mellan den liberala Sen. Elizabeth Warren och Senatens republikaner som slutade med att hon tvingades sätta sig ner efter att hon anklagats för att ifrågasätta Sessions. Sessionerna sa att han skulle avgå från sitt kontor 23.59 onsdag och Vita huset är planerat att svära honom på torsdag morgon. "Det var en speciell kväll", sade Sessions till reportrar på Capitol Hill efter hans bekräftelse. "Jag uppskattar vänskapen från mina kollegor -- även de som, många av dem som inte kände sig kapabla att rösta på mig. De var hjärtliga, så vi fortsätter att ha goda relationer och kommer att fortsätta att göra så gott jag kan." Kampen om Sessions nominering sporrade några av de mest upprörande, och ibland personliga attacker, rotade i påståenden om att Sessions var en rasist -- hävdar Alabama senatorn och hans anhängare har häftigt förnekat. Redan tidigt i nomineringsprocessen blev en av Sessions kollegor, Cory Booker, den första sittande senatorn som vittnade mot en annan sittande senator under sin konfirmationsförhandling. Strax före omröstningen tog senatens majoritetsledare Mitch McConnell till senatens våning för att sjunga sessionernas lovord, efter att demokraterna ägnat timmar åt att kritisera honom. "Han är bara en sympatisk kille, en av de mest ödmjuka och omtänksamma människor du någonsin kommer att träffa", sa McConnell. "Han är en sann sydstatsgentleman." Medan några vänsterleaning grupper utfärdade uttalanden som lovade att stå upp och fortsätta att öka medvetenheten om sina meningsskiljaktigheter med sessioner, Republikanen Sen. Jim Inhofe ifrågasatte hur effektiva de kunde vara i att försöka hålla upp kampen. "Vad ska de göra? Han är justitieminister. Var börjar striden? Var är ammunitionen?" Han sa till reportrar. I debatten tisdag kväll, efter att republikaner redan blockerat en senat filibuster, Warren regerade den debatten genom att läsa från ett brev från 1986 Coretta Scott King skickade oppositionella Sessions för en federal domare. "'Den som har använt sin makt som USA:s åklagare för att skrämma och kyla medborgarnas fria utövande av valsedeln bör inte upphöjas till våra domstolar'", läste Warren från Kings brev. McConnell anklagade Warren för att ifrågasätta Sessions på senatens golv -- ett brott mot senatens regler -- och efter en rad processuella omröstningar tvingades hon sätta sig ner och sluta debattera. Warrens misstroendevotum och efterföljande reaktion fortsatte att till stor del överskugga Sessionskampen timmarna före hans omröstning, men Massachusettsdemokraten berättade för CNN:s Manu Raju sade Sessions, som hon tjänstgjorde med i kammaren, är bara det senaste exemplet på ett dåligt kabinettsval. "Vi kanske inte har rösterna för att stoppa honom", sade hon, "men vi måste verkligen som fan klargöra för republikanerna och för det amerikanska folket exakt vem Donald Trump sätter i ledningen för vår regering." Sessionerna blockerades i slutändan från en federal domarbefattning och bar in det där stridsärret i onsdagens sista konfirmationsstrid. Demokraterna som ännu inte har blivit nominerade Demokraterna förväntas upprepa samma 30-timmars debattplan för hälso- och personalminister nominerad Tom Price och skulle lätt kunna dra upp kampen om finansdepartementet välja Steven Mnuchin till helgen. Tisdagen bekräftades Betsy DeVos, 51-50, i en strid som väckte livliga protester och översvämmandet av senatsväxeln av arga demokrater och liberala aktivister. Taktiken har ännu inte arbetat med att faktiskt besegra någon av Trumps kabinettsplock, men de har eldat upp en bas av demokratiska och liberala aktivister ilsken över en rad Trump-aktioner, inte minst var att välja en republikansk mega-donator i DeVos för att driva utbildningsdepartementet. "När man får miljontals samtal och demonstrationer och en nominerad blir avslöjad för att vara de de är, kommer det att få en djupgående och positiv effekt, även om hon får ämbetet. Så vi är mycket nöjda med resultaten och vi kommer att fortsätta dem, "Senaten Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sade tisdag. Men republikaner har skakat på vad de kallar "historisk obstruktion" och har argumenterat för att Trump behöver sitt team på plats. "Detta är den långsammaste tiden för ett nytt kabinett att vara igång sedan George Washington. Denna obstruktionsnivå i början av en administration är verkligen rekordartad på ett mycket olyckligt sätt. Det är verkligen dags för våra vänner på andra sidan att komma över valet, låt denna administration stiga upp och få igång," McConnell sade tisdag. Den ende nominerade som verkar vara i något problem vid denna punkt är Labor sekreterare välja Andrew Puzder, som är invecklad i kontroverser efter nyheten att han anlitade en papperslös arbetare för att städa sitt hus och tvingades betala tillbaka skatter. En serie republikaner i senatens panel som hade till uppgift att granska honom avböjde att säga tisdag om de fortfarande stödde Puzder. Justitieminister, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., lämnar sitt kontor på Capitol Hill i Washington tidigt onsdag, 8 februari 2017. Alabama-republikanen verkar vara på väg mot bekräftelse av en nästan... (Associated Press) Attorney General-utsedd, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., lämnar sitt kontor på Capitol Hill i Washington tidigt onsdag, 8 feb 2017. Alabama Republikanen verkar vara på väg mot bekräftelse av en nästan parti-rad omröstning efter att Demokraterna skarpt kritiserade honom för att vara för nära Trump, för hårt... (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Senaten på onsdagen bekräftade Sen. Jeff Sessions att vara justitieminister i Trump administrationen trots våldsamt demokratiskt motstånd mot Alabama Republikanen över hans rekord om medborgerliga rättigheter och invandring. 52-47 års nästan partiradsröst begränsade veckor av splittrande strider om Sessions, en tidig anhängare av president Donald Trump och en av senatens mest konservativa lagstiftare. Demokraterna spetsade in sig i Sessions, kasta honom som för mysig med Trump och för hård mot invandrare. De hävdade att han inte skulle göra tillräckligt för att skydda minoriteters rösträtt, skydd för homosexuella och kvinnors lagliga rätt att erhålla abort. De är rädda att invandrare i landet inte kommer att få rätt process med Session som den främsta brottsbekämpande polisen. "Varje justitieminister måste kunna stå fast för rättsstatsprincipen även mot den mäktiga verkställande makten som nominerade honom eller henne. I denna administration tror jag att oberoende är ännu mer nödvändigt," sade Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "Hans (Sessions) rekord väcker tvivel om han kan vara en mästare för dem som behöver detta kontor mest och det väcker också tvivel om huruvida han kan stävja olaglig överreach" av Trump. Republikanerna säger att Sessions har visat under en lång karriär i public service — och två decennier i senaten — att han besitter integritet, ärlighet och är engagerad i rättvisa. "Han är ärlig. Han är rättvis. Han har varit en vän till många av oss, på båda sidor om gången," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sade. "Det har varit svårt att se hur den här goda mannen har gått igenom de senaste veckorna. Detta är en väl kvalificerad kollega med djup vördnad för lagen. Han tror starkt på att det skall tillämpas på alla på samma sätt." Sessionerna vann enhälligt stöd från senatens republikaner men fick stöd av bara en demokrat, Joe Manchin från West Virginia. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley förväntas namnge en ersättare för sessioner redan på torsdag. Bentley har utsett sex finalister till senatens utnämning, bland annat delstatens justitieminister Luther Strange och GOP Rep. Robert Aderholt. Strange anses vara en ledande kandidat för jobbet sedan Bentley intervjuade potentiella ersättare för statsåklagaren, enligt personer nära processen. Bentleys kontor har dock sagt att han inte har fattat något beslut. Onsdagens omröstning kom mitt i stigande spänning mellan republikaner som kontrollerar kammaren över fördröjd taktik av minoritet Demokratiska som har lämnat färre av Trumps val på plats än president Barack Obama hade för åtta år sedan. Demokraterna har dock inte längre filibustermakt över kabinettsplock, efter att ha ändrat senatens regler när de kontrollerade kammaren 2013. Nästa för senaten är Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. Trumps val till hälsominister. En slutomröstning om Price kunde komma sent på torsdagen och framgången verkade säker. Demokraterna har starkt motsatt sig Price, en fast förespråkare för att upphäva Obamas hälso-och sjukvård översyn och omformning och skalning tillbaka Medicare och Medicaid program som ger sjukvård till äldre och låginkomsttagare. Men de har mest anklagat Price, en rik före detta ortopedkirurg, för intressekonflikter genom att förvärva aktier i vårdföretag och driva lagstiftning som kan hjälpa dessa företag. De har särskilt riktat in sig på hans förvärv av aktier i Innate Immunoterapeutics, en australisk bioteknikfirma som säger att Price har en särskild insideraffär. Price, som har sagt att han fått reda på möjligheten av en lagfaren kollega, Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., hade vittnat för kongressen att aktierna var tillgängliga för alla investerare. "Om jag var åklagare, skulle jag säga att det här fallet har en verklig potential", sade senatens minoritetsledare Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., onsdag. Den här veckan har presenterats över en natt, dygnet runt-senaten sessioner som GOP ledare mala igenom ett snår av kontroversiella val. Epitomisera den skarpkantade partisanskapet kring bekräftelse av Trumps kabinett nominerade, Sen. Elizabeth Warren fick en sällsynt förebråelse tisdag kväll för att citera Coretta Scott King, änka till den avlidne medborgarrättsledaren Martin Luther King Jr., i hennes 1986 kritik av Sessions. King skrev att som tillförordnad federal åklagare i Alabama använde Sessions sin makt för att "förhindra svarta medborgares fria utövande av rösträtten." McConnell menade att Massachusettsdemokraten hade drivit på regler om att impotera en senatorkollega. Sessionernas nominering till en federal domare avvisades för tre decennier sedan av senatens domarkommitté efter att det påstods att han som federal åklagare hade kallat en svart advokat "boy" och hade sagt att organisationer som NAACP och American Civil Liberties Union var oamerikanska. Vid sin utfrågning förra månaden sade Sessions att han aldrig hade hyst rasanimus, och sade att han hade blivit falskt karikatyrerad. Till denna rapport bidrog den associerade pressskribenten Kimberly Chandler i Montgomery, Alabama. Senaten har röstat för att bekräfta Jeff Sessions som USA:s nästa justitieminister. Omröstningen var 52-47, varvid demokraternas senator Joe Manchin gick över partigränserna för att rösta ja. Senatsdemokraterna bekämpade Sessionernas nominering så mycket de kunde, och höll sena kvällssessioner både måndag och tisdag för att tala ut mot honom. Det var en hel del häftig debatt om nomineringen, vilket ledde till ilskan i senaten kammaren igår kväll när Elizabeth Warren blev tillrättavisad för att citera starka ord slamming Sessions. [bild via manus] — — Följ Josh Feldman på Twitter: @feldmaniac Har ett tips vi bör veta? tips@mediaite.com »« Vad är en kortare version av ovanstående artikel?
News article: Washington (CNN) The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama as the next Attorney General, surviving a vocal push by Democrats to derail his nomination. The 52-47 vote was mostly according to party lines, although a Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin, joined the Republicans to support their Alabama colleague. The final vote for Sessions -- one of Trump's closest advisors and his earliest supporters in the Senate -- came after 30 hours of debate from the Democrats and a fantastic struggle between the Liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Senate Republicans who ended up being forced to sit down after she was accused of questioning Sessions. Sessions said he would resign from his office at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday and the White House is scheduled to swear to him on Thursday morning. "It was a special night," Sessions told reporters on Capitol Hill after his confirmation. "I appreciate the friendship of my colleagues -- even those who, many of those who did not feel able to vote for me. They were cordial, so we continue to have good relationships and will continue to do the best I can." The struggle for Sessions' nomination spurred some of the most outrageous, and sometimes personal attacks, rooted in claims that Sessions was a racist -- claims the Alabama senator and his supporters have fiercely denied. Early in the nomination process, one of Session's colleagues, Cory Booker, became the first sitting senator to testify against another sitting senator during his confirmation hearing. Shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor to sing the praises of the sessions, after the Democrats spent hours criticizing him. "He's just a sympathetic guy, one of the most humble and caring people you'll ever meet," McConnell said. "He's a true Southern gentleman." While some left-leaning groups issued statements promising to stand up and continue to raise awareness of their differences with sessions, Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe questioned how effective they could be in trying to hold up the fight. "What are they gonna do? He's the Attorney General. Where does the battle begin? Where's the ammo?" He told reporters. In the debate Tuesday night, after Republicans already blocked a Senate filibuster, Warren ruled that debate by reading from a 1986 Coretta Scott King letter sent oppositional Sessions for a federal judge. "'Anyone who has used his power as U.S. prosecutor to intimidate and cool citizens' free exercise of the ballot should not be elevated to our courts'," Warren read from King's letter. McConnell accused Warren of questioning Sessions on the Senate floor -- a violation of Senate rules -- and after a series of procedural votes, she was forced to sit down and stop debating. Warren's motion of censure and subsequent reaction continued to largely overshadow the Session struggle the hours before his vote, but the Massachusetts Democrat told CNN's Manu Raju said Sessions, which she served with in the House, is just the latest example of a poor cabinet election. "We may not have the votes to stop him," she said, "but we really have to clarify as hell to the Republicans and to the American people exactly who Donald Trump puts in charge of our government." The sessions were ultimately blocked from a federal sentencing position and carried that combat scar into Wednesday's final confirmation battle. Democrats who have not yet been nominated Democrats are expected to repeat the same 30-hour debate plan for Health and Personnel Minister nominee Tom Price and could easily pull up the fight for the Treasury Department elect Steven Mnuchin for the weekend. Tuesday, Betsy DeVos, 51-50, was confirmed in a battle that sparked lively protests and the flooding of the Senate exchange by angry Democrats and Liberal activists. The tactics have yet to work on actually defeating any of Trump's cabinet picks, but they have burned a base of Democratic and Liberal activists angry over a series of Trump actions, not least choosing a Republican mega-donor in DeVos to run the Department of Education. "When you get millions of calls and demonstrations and a nominee is revealed to be who they are, it will have a profound and positive effect, even if she gets the office. So we are very pleased with the results and we will continue them," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. But Republicans have shaken on what they call "historical obstruction" and have argued that Trump needs his team in place. "This is the slowest time for a new cabinet to be up and running since George Washington. This level of obstruction at the beginning of an administration is indeed record-breaking in a very unfortunate way. It's really time for our friends on the other side to get over the election, let this administration get up and get started," McConnell said Tuesday. The only nominee who appears to be in any problem at this point is Labor's secretary choosing Andrew Puzder, who is embroiled in controversy after the news that he hired a paperless worker to clean his house and was forced to pay back taxes. A series of Republicans on the Senate panel tasked with reviewing him declined to say Tuesday if they still supported Puzder. Attorney General, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., leaves his office at Capitol Hill, Washington, early Wednesday, February 8, 2017. The Alabama Republican appears to be heading for confirmation of an almost... (Associated Press) Attorney General-designated, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., leaving his office at Capitol Hill, Washington, early Wednesday, Feb 8, 2017. The Alabama Republican appears to be heading towards confirmation of an almost party-row vote after Democrats sharply criticized him for being too close to Trump, too hard... (Associated Press) WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate on Wednesday confirmed Sen. Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General of the Trump administration despite violent democratic opposition to the Alabama Republican over his record on civil rights and immigration. The 52-47 almost party-line vote limited weeks of divisive battles over Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and one of the Senate's most conservative legislators. The Democrats impaled themselves into Sessions, throwing him as too cozy with Trump and too hard on immigrants. They claimed that he would not do enough to protect minority suffrage, protection of gays and women's legal right to obtain abortion. They fear that immigrants in the country will not get the right process with Session as the main law enforcement police. "Every Attorney General must be able to stand firm for the rule of law even against the powerful executive who nominated him or her. In this administration I think independence is even more necessary," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. "His (Sessions) record raises doubts whether he can be a champion for those who need this office most and it also raises doubts as to whether he can curb illegal overreach" by Trump. Republicans say that Sessions have shown for a long career in public service — and two decades in the Senate — that he possesses integrity, honesty, and is committed to justice. "He's honest. He's fair. He has been a friend of many of us, on both sides of the aisle," Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. "It's been hard to see how this good man has been going through the past few weeks. This is a well qualified colleague with deep respect for the law. He strongly believes that it will be applied to all in the same way." The sessions unanimously won support from Senate Republicans but were supported by only one Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to name a replacement for sessions as early as Thursday. Bentley has appointed six finalists for Senate appointment, including State Attorney General Luther Strange and GOP Rep. Robert Aderholt. Strange is considered a leading candidate for the job since Bentley interviewed potential replacements for the state attorney general, according to people close to the process. However, Bentley's office has said that he has not made a decision. Wednesday's vote came amid rising tension between Republicans controlling the House over delayed tactics by minority Democratic who have left fewer of Trump's elections in place than President Barack Obama had eight years ago. However, Democrats no longer have filibuster power over cabinet picks, having changed Senate rules when they controlled the House in 2013. Next for the Senate is Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. Trump's election as Minister of Health. A final vote on Price could come late on Thursday and success seemed safe. Democrats have strongly opposed Price, a firm advocate for repealing Obama's healthcare review and reshaping and scaling back Medicare and Medicaid programs that provide healthcare to older and low-income earners. But they have mostly accused Price, a wealthy former orthopedic surgeon, of conflicts of interest by acquiring shares in health care companies and implementing legislation that can help these companies. They have specifically targeted his acquisition of shares in Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotechnology firm that says Price has a special insider deal. Price, who has said that he has learned of the possibility of a law-abiding colleague, Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., had testified to Congress that the shares were available to all investors. "If I were a prosecutor, I would say this case has real potential," said Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Wednesday. This week has been presented overnight, round-the-clock senate sessions as GOP leaders grind through a thicket of controversial elections. Epitomize the sharp-lined partisanship surrounding confirmation of Trump's cabinet nominee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren received a rare rebuke Tuesday night to quote Coretta Scott King, widow of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., in her 1986 criticism of Sessions. King wrote that as an acting federal prosecutor in Alabama, Sessions used its power to "prevent the free exercise of suffrage by black citizens." McConnell argued that the Massachusetts Democrat had pushed for rules to impotent a fellow senator. The Sessions nomination for a federal judge was rejected three decades ago by the Senate Judiciary Committee after it was alleged that as a federal prosecutor he had called a black lawyer "boy" and had said that organizations such as the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union were unAmerican. At his hearing last month, Sessions said that he had never harbored rasanimus, saying he had been falsely caricatured. For this report, associated press writer Kimberly Chandler contributed in Montgomery, Alabama. The Senate has voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as the next US Attorney General. The vote was 52-47, with Democratic Senator Joe Manchin crossing party lines to vote in favour. The Senate Democrats fought the Sessions nomination as much as they could, holding late evening sessions both Monday and Tuesday to speak out against him. There was a lot of heated debate about the nomination, which led to the anger in the Senate House last night when Elizabeth Warren was reprimanded to quote strong words slamming Sessions. [picture via script] — Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac Have a tip we should know? Previous Previous post: What is a shorter version of the above article?
– Senaten bekräftade Jeff Sessions som USA:s justitieminister i en omröstning onsdag kväll, Mediaite rapporterar. Demokraterna kämpade emot med sena kvällar på måndag och tisdag-CNN rapporterar att de bekämpade Sessions bekräftelse i 30 timmar på senatens golv-men i slutändan var det inte tillräckligt för att blockera hans bekräftelse. Omröstningen, som i stort sett delades upp längs partilinjer, var 52–47, enligt AP. Varje republikansk senator röstade på Sessions; Sen. Joe Manchin från West Virginia var den ende demokraten som röstade på honom. Demokraterna attackerade Sessions, en av president Trumps tidigaste finansiärer, på hans rekord om medborgerliga rättigheter och invandring, och argumenterade för att han inte skulle arbeta för att skydda minoriteters rösträtt, HBTQ-amerikaners rättigheter, eller kvinnors rätt till abort. Sessions har även anklagats för att vara rasist, bland annat i ett brev från 1986 av Coretta Scott King läst av flerfaldiga demokrater under framtakten till omröstningen. Strax innan Sessions bekräftades kallade Mitch McConnell senatorn från Alabama en "likvärdig kille" och en "sann sydstatsgentleman". En ersättare för Sessions in the Senat förväntas bli utnämnd redan på torsdag.
The Senate confirmed Jeff Sessions as U.S. Attorney General in a vote Wednesday night, Mediaite reports. Democrats fought back with late nights on Monday and Tuesday-CNN reports they fought Session confirmation for 30 hours on the Senate floor—but ultimately it wasn't enough to block his confirmation. The vote, which was broadly divided along party lines, was 52–47, according to the AP. Each Republican senator voted for Sessions; Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote for him. The Democrats attacked Sessions, one of President Trump's earliest financiers, on his record on civil rights and immigration, arguing that he would not work to protect minority suffrage, LGBT rights, or women's right to abortion. Sessions have also been accused of being a racist, including in a 1986 letter by Coretta Scott King read by multiple Democrats during the run-up to the vote. Shortly before Sessions were confirmed, Mitch McConnell called the senator from Alabama an "equal guy" and a "true Southern gentleman". A replacement for Sessions in the Senate is expected to be appointed as early as Thursday.