Jeff Sessions’ ‘reinvention’ during confirmation hearing sets the tone for future controversial Trump nominees, expert says
Virginia Tech expert Brandy Faulkner says attorney general-nominee Jeff Sessions’ responses during this week’s hearing were very effective in garnering the support he needs for confirmation, despite the fact that more than 200 civil rights and liberties organizations are actively opposing his confirmation.
Quoting Faulkner
“His responses demonstrate a complete reinvention. It's a tactic nearly identical to the one Vice President-elect Mike Pence used in the vice presidential debate with Tim Kaine. No matter how many facts were thrown at him, and even when his own words were quoted, he very calmly denied them or minimized their significance to his role as attorney general,” said Faulkner, a visiting assistant professor of political science at Virginia Tech.
“In many ways this hearing will set the tone for the ones to come in the near future. While Sessions certainly isn't the only controversial nominee, the relatively quick scheduling of his hearing has mobilized many communities who oppose him.”
About Faulkner
Faulkner's areas of expertise includes constitutional and administrative law, race and public policy, and critical organization theory.
View Faulkner's full bio here.
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