Trump's Attorney General nominee denies Ku Klux Klan support
Jeff Sessions uses his opening statement to reinforce his track record in supporting civil rights cases amid pointed hat protests.
Tuesday 10 January 2017 19:17, UK
Donald Trump's nominee for Attorney General has been forced to deny he has sympathies for the Ku Klux Klan, describing its ideology as "hateful".
It has been alleged Jeff Sessions once supported the white supremacist group and that he once called a black lawyer "boy".
But he told his confirmation hearing: "As to the KKK, I invited civil rights attorneys from Washington DC to help us solve a very difficult investigation into the... horrendous death of an African American... simply because he was black.
"I actively backed the attorneys throughout that case and they broke that case.... That murdering Klansman was indeed executed.
"I abhor the Klan and what it represents and its hateful ideology."
He said his task as Attorney General would be to crack down on illegal immigration, gun violence and "Islamic terrorism".
He cast himself as a strong protector of law and order as he outlined his priorities at the first of the Senate hearings into the suitability of Mr Trump's nominees.
It came after protesters dressed in white robes and pointed hats heckled those attending the event in Washington DC.
They attempted to interrupt at several points and were eventually removed, shouting "you can't arrest me, I am white!" and "white people own this government!" as they were ejected.
Civil liberties supporters say Mr Sessions' voting record and his appearances before groups that criticise Muslims and immigrants show he is unsuitable for the role.
The Alabama Republican told Senators the country was struggling to combat illegal drugs flooding across the border, spikes in violent crime in American cities and low morale among police.
"These trends cannot continue. It is a fundamental civil right to be safe in your home and your community," he said.
He told the Senators he would favour a special prosecutor if any investigation was carried out into Hillary Clinton.
But he said he would not take part in decisions about her as comments he had previously made about her email probe could place his "objectivity in question".
He stated that in his opinion a 1973 landmark decision by the US Supreme Court removing many of the restrictions on abortion across the country, called Roe vs Wade, had violated the constitution but he would respect the law as it existed.
He also confirmed he would follow the Supreme Court ruling allowing same sex marriage.
He said he did not support a pledge by Donald Trump during the election campaign to deny Muslims admission to the US.
What he would consider reactivating, he added, was a special unit at the Justice Department to pursue crimes of obscenity.
Concerns about whether Mr Sessions would be able to uphold laws that he had voted against had been raised by the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee Sen Dianne Feinstein.
In her opening statement, she said "there is so much fear in this country," particularly among African Americans, following Mr Trump's election.