Sessions confirmed as US Attorney General by narrow margin
The Republican-controlled US Senate has confirmed Donald Trump's nominee for Justice Department by a margin of 52 votes to 47.
Senator Jeff Sessions' confirmation came after a series of controversial hearings in which Democrats attacked Senator Sessions' civil rights record.
In one of the most controversial developments in the process, Republicans on Tuesday blocked Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren from continuing her speech after accusing her of attacking Senator Sessions' character.
Ms. Warren was reading a letter from Martin Luther King's wife, which was submitted in 1986 opposing Mr. Sessions' nomination to a federal court judgeship.
The wife of the late leader of the African American movement accused Mr. Sessions, who was once the attorney general of Alabama, of trying to intimidate black voters.
Mr. Sessions was nominated to a federal court judgeship in 1986 during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
But the Senate blocked Mr. Sessions' nomination that year, citing testimony from some that he had made racist statements or positions.
In addition, it was said that year that some of Mr. Sessions' statements appeared to be interpreted as a sign of sympathy for the racist group Ku Klux Klan.
Mr. Sessions has a long history of serving in legal positions in the southern and conservative state of Alabama.
He has categorically denied any accusations of racist tendencies.
"I am disgusted with the Ku Klux Klan, what it stands for, and its despicable ideology," he said during his confirmation hearings.
He said that as a Southerner from Alabama, he had witnessed firsthand the powerful forces of racial discrimination and its impact on the lives of millions of Americans.
Senator Sessions condemned that past and promised to work to preserve the freedom and equality of all citizens of the country.
Wednesday's vote was along partisan lines, with only one Democratic senator - Joe Manchin of West Virginia - supporting Mr. Sessions, unlike his partymates.
Mr. Sessions, who strongly supported Donald Trump during the election campaign, unlike many of his party colleagues, will now lead the Justice Department, which has 113,000 employees and 93 prosecutors.
Mr. Sessions expressed his happiness at the confirmation of his nomination, saying, "I think the discussions that took place throughout this process in the Senate were important, and I am grateful to those who had enough confidence in me to vote in favor of my nomination as Attorney General."
He also said, “I am fully aware of the enormous responsibilities of this position,” but added that “attacking the image of people who disagree with us is not good for the world of politics.”
The confirmation process for Donald Trump's cabinet members, who were sworn in on January 20, has been slow.
Mr. Trump earlier tweeted that Democrats were blocking the swift confirmation of his cabinet members. Mr. Sessions is the sixth cabinet member to be confirmed out of 15.
Mr. Sessions, who is 70 years old like Donald Trump, has a lot of sympathy for Mr. Trump's immigration policies.
Source: BBC
