Senate Debates Jeff Sessions Nomination for Attorney General

On Wednesday, the Senate floor held a debate for President Donald Trump’s nomination of Jeff

Sessions as attorney general.

Speakers in the debate include Bernie Sanders, who spoke about Senator Elizabeth Warren who

clashed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday night after he claimed that the

Massachusetts Democrat had violated a Senate rule against impugning another senator.

The incident only served to energize a debate that continued late into Wednesday evening, as

Democrats paraded to the Senate podium to offer their support for Warren and question

Sessions' fitness to lead the Justice Department.

She had read past statements against Sessions from figures such as the late senator Edward M.

Kennedy and the late Coretta Scott King. “The senator has impugned the motives and conduct

of our colleague from Alabama,” McConnell said, then setting up a series of roll-call votes on

Warren’s conduct.

Since then, Jeff Sessions has been confirmed as the attorney general with a vote of 52- 47, and

republicans are now voting to rebuke Elizabeth Warren.

After the McConnell silenced Warren, he sent out a message on Twitter saying “Sen. Warren

was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She warned. She was given

an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

Supporters immediately seized upon McConnell’s statement and gave Warren a far bigger

megaphone than if they had simply let her continue speaking in what had been a mostly empty

chamber, some pointed out. They have posted the words “Nevertheless, she persisted.” With

pictures of women leaders who made great change, such as Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, and

Harriet Tubman.