Law Enforcement Lauds Sen. Jeff Sessions

Former Justice Department Officials: ‘He Will Be Driven By The Law’

LARRY THOMPSON, Former Deputy Attorney General of the United States: “I first met Jeff when he was United States attorney in Mobile, Ala., and I was the United States attorney in Atlanta. To stretch our limited per diems on travel to Justice Department conferences, we often shared a hotel room. You really get to know a person when you interact so closely. As a former federal prosecutor, Jeff knows the workings of the Justice Department inside and out. He is thoroughly familiar with the legal issues the department will face. He will carry out his duties in a professional, thoughtful and balanced manner.” (Larry Thompson, Letter To The Editor, The New York Times, 11/21/16)

BARRY F. KOWALSKI, Former Special Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: “I worked closely with Senator Sessions while he was U.S. Attorney and I was in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. This was during the 1980s when many southern U.S. Attorneys were not always welcoming to the Civil Rights Division working in their districts. However, Senator Sessions could not have been more supportive of our investigations, and in the Michael Donald case specifically, he personally contributed to making sure his killers were brought to justice.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/18/2016)

ROBERT N. DRISCOLL, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: “Senator Sessions could be a good attorney general for civil rights because he will be driven by the law. His interpretation of the law will not please everyone, but I predict it will be fairly applied without fear or favor. Clear cases will be prosecuted with vigor. Creative interpretations of the law may cease, but the meat-and-potatoes work of the division (intentional discrimination, police misconduct, disability law) will continue apace, conducted without impropriety or political favoritism. That alone will be a breath of fresh air.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

JOHN P. WALTERS, Former Director Of Drug Control Policy: “There has been no greater defender of the rule of law and the need to protect all our citizens from crime and drug trafficking.” (Hudson Institute, Press Release, 11/18/16)

KENYEN R. BROWN, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, President Obama appointee: “Jeff Sessions is a man of outstanding character with an impeccable reputation for integrity. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding U.S. Attorney General.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/18/2016)

Law Enforcement Organizations: ‘A Man Of Unquestionable Integrity And Unparalleled Experience,’ With ‘A Commitment To Fairness And Equal Justice Under The Law’

National District Attorneys Association (NDAA): “Today, the National District Attorneys Association, representing 2,500 diverse Republican and Democratic elected prosecutors and their 40,000 assistants, formally endorsed Senator Jeff Sessions from the State of Alabama to be the 84th Attorney General of the United States. Rarely in the history of this great country has a candidate been more qualified to serve in this capacity in an effort to promote and protect public safety.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys (NAAUSA):  “The National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys expresses its strong support for the selection of Senator Jeff Sessions to become the next Attorney General of the United States. Senator Sessions, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney, Alabama Attorney General, four-term U.S. Senator, and longtime member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a man of unquestionable integrity and unparalleled experience. Throughout his distinguished career he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equal justice for all.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

• STEVE COOK, NAAUSA President: “Senator Sessions is uniquely equipped to be the chief law enforcement officer of our Nation and to lead the Department of Justice. We congratulate President-elect Trump for his selection of Senator Sessions to this important post and we look forward to his formal nomination and prompt confirmation by the Senate.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

National Sheriffs’ Association: “Senator Sessions would be an outstanding nominee for U.S. Attorney General. Sen. Sessions has enormous integrity, fidelity to the rule of law, substantial experience and a commitment to fairness and equal justice under the law. Those are qualities America needs as its chief law enforcement officer to the Federal Government. Throughout his career, Senator Sessions has steadfastly supported the men and women who risk their lives every day to preserve the rule of law. Senator Sessions is an experienced prosecutor with a world-class legal mind, serving as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Alabama Attorney General and for two decades on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Department of Justice. Senator Sessions would be an extraordinary Attorney General and we’re hopeful the new administration nominates him and the U.S. Senate quickly confirms.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

National Association of Police Organizations, Inc. (NAPO): “We are proud to offer [Sen. Sessions] our whole-hearted support.” (Press Release, Presidential Transition Website, 11/20/2016)

National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition: “The NNOAC represents men and women on the front lines of protecting our citizens and our communities from drug trafficking and the addiction and violent crime it causes. We enthusiastically support the nomination of Senator Sessions because we have witnessed the effectiveness of the strategies he has supported throughout his career. We are hopeful that, under his leadership, the Department of Justice will refocus on those strategies that have worked to drive down violent crime and drug use and abuse.” (Bob Bushman, President, National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, Letter To President-Elect Donald Trump, 11/20/2016)

• “[Sen. Sessions] understands the costs and consequences of drug trafficking and the resultant abuse, addiction, and violence that has been devastating to many cities, especially in some of our most vulnerable and impoverished communities. He has spent most of his life making a difference on these issues. He has long supported an overall policy approach that resulted in historic reductions in violent crime, property crime, and drug abuse rates from the mid-1980s through the late 2000s.” (Bob Bushman, President, National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition, Letter To President-Elect Donald Trump, 11/20/2016)

Major Cities Chiefs Association: “The Major Cities Chiefs Association today joins with law enforcement colleagues to support the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to become our next Attorney General. As U.S. Attorney and Alabama Attorney General, Jeff Sessions became a steadfast advocate for law enforcement and public safety during his early career. Over the past 20 years on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he has been an unwavering champion for measures to address violent crime and drug abuse in the communities we serve across the Nation. He will be strong partner in our continuing efforts to prevent and interdict acts of terrorism against the American people. His record in the U.S. Senate demonstrates a firm and consistent commitment to community policing and undiminished support for the men and women of law enforcement.” (Major Cities Chiefs Association President J. Thomas Manger, Chief Of Police, Montgomery County, Maryland, Press Release, 11/22/2016)

• “As a Senator, Jeff Sessions has been an unwavering champion for measures to address violent crime and drug abuse in the communities we are sworn to serve. He has reached across the aisle and shown a bipartisan balance, forging agreements with the opposition and thus serving the common good.” (Major Cities Chiefs Association President J. Thomas Manger, Chief Of Police, Montgomery County, Maryland, Letter To Sens. Grassley And Feinstein, 11/22/2016)

CHUCK CANTERBURY, National Fraternal Order of Police President: “We are very, very pleased with the decision of President-elect Trump to tap Senator Sessions to be our nation’s next ‘top cop.’ . . As a long time prosecutor, he is and always will be a member of the law enforcement family and we look forward to his leadership at the U.S. Department of Justice... Jeff Sessions is known for his leadership, integrity, and commitment.” (National Fraternal Order Of Police, Press Release, 11/18/2016)

NATHAN CATURA, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) National President: “On behalf of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), I am writing to you in support of the anticipated nomination of the Honorable Jeff Sessions for the position of United States Attorney General. As the president of the largest non-partisan professional association representing federal officers, I am confident that any non-partisan evaluation of Senator Sessions' credentials will yield unanimous favorable results.” (Nathan Catura, National President, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Letter To Sens. McConnell And Schumer, 11/28/2016)

• “…his actions have defined him as a principled man of honor. He has served with distinction as a United States Attorney, and has honored the principles of our founding fathers through his service on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Sessions has earned the respect and confidence of law enforcement nationwide, and he is the right leader to serve as our nation's top law enforcement officer.” (Nathan Catura, National President, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Letter To Sens. McConnell And Schumer, 11/28/2016)

SAMUEL A. CABRAL, International President, International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO: “We are well aware of your long history of supporting the fine men and women who provide for the public’s safety.  ... We are also aware of and grateful for your leadership in the Senate.  We know that you have a long history of supporting the laws that both protect the nation’s police, and those that allow them to better protect and serve the public.”  (Samuel A. Cabral, Letter to Sen. Sessions, 11/21/16)

LUTHER STRANGE, Alabama Attorney General & Republican Attorneys General Association Chairman: “On behalf of the twenty-nine Republican Attorneys General across the country, we congratulate Jeff Sessions on his nomination to be our nation's Attorney General. Senator Sessions is a world-class legal mind and experienced prosecutor, having served his country admirably as both US Attorney and Alabama Attorney General... Senator Sessions is respected across party lines in the U.S. Senate and has a strong civil rights record in his decades of public service. Senator Sessions is a credit to our Nation and I know he will make us proud in his new role where he will continue to be a champion for our Constitution and the rule of law.” (Republican Attorneys General Association, Press Release, 11/2016)