Wendy Sherman: “Last Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren sought to bring to the attention of the Senate some material about an Attorney…”

“Last Tuesday, Senator Elizabeth Warren sought to bring to the attention of the Senate some material about an Attorney General nominee, Senator Jeff Sessions. She was silenced. She persisted. Ultimately, the Record of the Senate does not reflect the remarks she was trying to give. In particular, Senator Warren was trying to bring to the attention of the Senate a statement and letter of Coretta Scott King from 1986. In 1986, then Jefferson B. Sessions was a U.S. Attorney, a Federal prosecutor who had been appointed for a position as a U.S. district judge. At that time, Coretta Scott King wrote to the then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Strom Thurmond. While the Senate may not entertain these remarks and while the Senate may stifle a United States Senator, this is the people's House and it is appropriate that the Record of this House, at least, reflect the comments of Coretta Scott King. So I would like to use the time remaining to read her cover letter from March 13, 1986, and to read excerpts from the statement she attached to it. ``Dear Senator Thurmond: ``I write to express my sincere opposition to the confirmation of Jefferson B. Sessions as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of Alabama. My professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting.…”