Jeff Sessions

At the Department of Justice you are not required to be a judge to be a prosecutor.

I did criticize that. I was a politician, we had a campaign on.

I do not think it is appropriate for the Attorney General just to willy-nilly create special prosecutors.

It is not a little matter. It is a matter that has created controversy over the years.

It is the ultimate loyalty to him, and you hope that a President, and I hope President-elect Trump has confidence in me...

That is a very insightful or probing question, and it touches on a lot of the important issues that I, as Attorney General, would need to deal with.

I would like to see it more skill-based, and I think that would be helpful.

The immigration flow from almost all of our countries, frankly, is based on family connection and other visas rather than a skill-based program more like Canada has today.

I said in 1986 that NAACP represents one of the greatest forces for reconciliation and racial advancement of any entity in the country, probably number one.

No, I did not. I do not think. I heard it in rallies and so forth, sometimes I think humorously done.

Well, Senator, if there are laws violated and they can be prosecuted, then, of course, you will have to handle that in an appropriate way.

Well, Senator, they won those cases. They took them to court and eventually won a monumental victory.

That is correct, and it is subject to civil and/or criminal complaint.

Fraudulent speech, if it amounts to an attempt to obtain a thing of value for the person the fraudulent speech is directed... is absolutely fraud and can be prosecuted.

The military did not do that. That was by intelligence agencies.

Congress has taken an action now that makes it absolutely improper and illegal to use waterboarding or any other form of torture in the United States by our military and by all our other departments and agencies.

I will honor and maintain those procedures at the Department of Justice.

I really would not attempt to comment today on that.

I am open to hearing the views of this Congress and that Subcommittee.

I would not commit to you that I have formed an opinion on that.

If that is something that is not desired any longer, Congress should pass a law to change the rule.

My best judgment, colleagues, is that, properly enforced, the Federal gun laws can reduce crime and violence in our cities and communities.

I can, Senator Cornyn. I am familiar with how that plays out in the real world.

There is virtually no defense for that kind of action, and I do believe that we are failing to appreciate police officers who place their lives at risk.

I just tried to defend myself as best I could.