Sen. Sessions ‘A Good Man’

SEN. QUINTON ROSS: ‘I Know Him Personally… And The Experience Has Been Nothing But Positive’

“Alabama state Senator Quinton Ross (D-Montgomery) and U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) come from different sides of the political aisle. But as Sessions’ hearings near for confirmation to the position of U.S. Attorney General, he'll have Ross' support. Ross, a black man who now holds the position of Alabama Senate Minority Leader, said he looks forward to working with Sessions should he be confirmed... Ross says he's had a positive working relationship with Alabama's junior senator for more than 20 years.” (“State Sen. Quinton Ross Throws Support To Sen. Jeff Sessions' AG Nomination,” WSFA-TV Montgomery, AL, 12/07/2016)

QUINTON ROSS, Alabama Senate Minority Leader: “I have worked with Sen. Sessions on education policy and securing federal funding for our schools... Additionally, I have spent time with him at the Magic City Classic and at Heritage Barbershop in Montgomery. I know him personally and all of my encounters with him have been for the greater good of Alabama.” (“State Sen. Quinton Ross Throws Support To Sen. Jeff Sessions' AG Nomination,” WSFA-TV Montgomery, AL, 12/07/2016)

• SEN. ROSS: “Having spoken with him on a myriad of issues, including civil rights and race relations, and the relationship that we’ve had – just personally over the last 20 years – I just feel that when you take on this feat of United States Attorney General that your mind has to work for the good of all people, and I just believe that his understanding and his application of the law will be unbiased.” (Family Research Council’s ‘Washington Watch Live with Tony Perkins,’ 12/07/2016)
• SEN. ROSS: “Sen. Sessions has served Alabama well in the United States Senate ... What I can speak to is the relationship that I’ve had with the man... encountering one another, and even my hometown barbershop, where he’s been. Even coming to Washington, D.C., interacting with his office and his staff, and the experience has been nothing but positive.” (Family Research Council’s ‘Washington Watch Live with Tony Perkins,’ 12/07/2016)

ALABAMIANS: ‘He Helped A Troubled Family… With Compassion’

“Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who attends the same church as Sessions -- Ashland Place Methodist Church in midtown Mobile – called the senator a ‘man of integrity, fairness and a true public servant who is eminently qualified to be U.S. Attorney General.’ ‘As a leader in the U.S. Senate, he has been an outstanding partner in all of our efforts to move the city of Mobile forward,’ said Stimpson.” (“What They Are Saying About Jeff Sessions Back Home,” AL.com, 11/20/2016)

QUIN HILLYER, Former Mobile Register Reporter: “…Mr. Sessions hasn’t evinced an iota of racial animus. Yet Democrats are clucking that the now-ancient incidents—disputed even then as taken wholly out of context—should disqualify Mr. Sessions from being attorney general... In 18 years of closely covering Sen. Sessions (including numerous off-the-record conversations), I’ve never heard a mean word from his lips or seen a single sign that raised my Kempian hackles. Mr. Sessions has now served 20 years in the Senate. No racist could keep bigotry closeted for so long. And none, surely, would work so hard, risking political capital, to fix sentencing laws that had proved in application to be racially discriminatory.” (Quin Hillyer, Op-Ed, “The Racist Smear Against Jeff Sessions,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/29/2016)

J. PEPPER BRYARS, Alabama Constituent: “Senator Jeff Sessions is a good man who would be a great U.S. Attorney General, but I didn't reach that conclusion by only examining his years on the judiciary committee, or his tenure as Alabama's attorney general, or his record as a federal prosecutor. Those are all stellar qualifications, but I have the added benefit of remembering the time he helped a troubled family - one without wealth, connections, or experience - successfully navigate the justice system, with firmness yet with compassion.” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

• “I was only in the fifth grade in 1985 when one of my brothers was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for smuggling cocaine from Alabama to Michigan, but I remember nearly everything about the ordeal. I remember how it transformed my brother from a carefree, often reckless kid into a panicked and desperate man. He saw a once bright future collapse into the darkness of a prison cell because of a stupid, irreversible mistake. I remember how it wrecked my father, both emotionally and financially. His son was locked up 1,000 miles away with all sorts of violent criminals, and all he could do was listen to his frightened voice on the telephone... I remember listening to my mother speak, often plead, with an endless cast of characters from our justice system... She ran up against walls, mostly. My mother walked away feeling ignored, helpless, hopeless, and ashamed.” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

• “But I also remember one individual from that world of officialdom who treated my parents with compassion, who took the time to help them understand what was happening, and why, and how their son could be successfully rehabilitated in a federal penitentiary, firmly yet justly. That man eventually sent their son to prison, but they spoke fondly, nearly reverently, of him for the rest of their lives. He was the top federal prosecutor in Mobile at that time, and his name was Jeff Sessions. So what did he do to earn such respect? Nothing, except treat my parents like human beings and put their son on a path to rehabilitation. Isn't that what we seek of our justice system, and of those who run it?” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

• “Looking back, there was no clear advantage for Sessions to go out of his way for my family, to help my parents find whatever ease was possible. He was a busy man, my brother was guilty, and my parents had neither connections nor a high-priced attorney (or any attorney, in fact). So why did Sessions - then nearly a decade away from entering politics - treat one insignificant family so well? The answer is simple: because he is a good man...” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

• “The public record, and no doubt the private record, proves that Jeff Sessions would be a compassionate yet firm lawman. That's what my family needed 30-years ago, and that's what our nation needs today.” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

• “Oh, and my brother? He was released after seven years and went on to lead a successful (and completely law-abiding) life in the entertainment and service industry. He never forgot about Sessions, either.” (J. Peppar Bryars, Column, “Stand With Sessions... Because He'd Stand With You,” AL.com, 11/29/2016)

Congressional Colleagues: ‘‘Man of Integrity,’ ‘Hear[s] Dissenting View,’ ‘Commitment to the Rule of Law’

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY (R-AL): “President-elect Trump has made an outstanding decision in selecting my friend and colleague Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as our next U.S. Attorney General.  Jeff is a man of integrity who has been a trusted and valued partner of mine in the Senate as well as an unwavering voice for Alabamians in Congress.  With decades of experience in the legal field and an impressive tenure on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jeff will bring expertise to President-elect Trump’s cabinet and the Department of Justice.” (Sen. Shelby, Press Release, 11/18/2016)

REP. TERRY SEWELL (D-AL): “Senator Sessions and I have enjoyed a productive working relationship on economic development issues that have benefited my constituents and our state. I am also appreciative that he was the Senate sponsor of the Foot Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Bill that paid tribute to those who sacrificed for the equal right to vote in this country. Over the past six years in my personal interactions with Senator Sessions, I have known him as someone who is willing to hear dissenting views.” (“Rep. Terri A. Sewell Says She Will Hold Sen. Sessions ‘Accountable’ On Civil, Human Rights Issues,” AL.com, 11/23/2016)

REP. MARTHA ROBY (R-AL): “There is no one more capable and qualified to serve our country as attorney general than Sessions... He’s been a kind mentor to me, and I have valued his guidance and leadership over my six years in Congress... I doubt many of his critics know him or have even met him. I do know Sessions, and I know him to be a man of the highest character and integrity. He probably has a better understanding of the rule of law than anyone in elected office. He’s going to make a tremendous attorney general, and I believe that in time his critics will be proven wrong.” (Rep. Martha Roby, Op-Ed, “Sessions Is Right Choice For AG,” Montgomery Advertiser, 11/22/2016)

REP. BRADLEY BYRNE (R-AL): “I have known Jeff Sessions for almost 40 years, and I have always considered him to be a person of the highest level of integrity, so I could not have been happier with the recent announcement that he has been selected to serve as the next U.S. Attorney General under President-elect Donald Trump. Jeff Sessions is the perfect pick for this critical role. His time as a U.S. Attorney, service as Alabama’s Attorney General, and time on the Senate Judiciary Committee give him the experience he needs to take on this tough job.” (Rep. Byrne, “Sessions Perfect Pick for Attorney General,” Byrne.house.gov, 11/27/2016)

• REP. BYRNE: “I got to know Senator Sessions when he moved to Mobile to practice law. . . He does not get nearly the credit he deserves for cleaning up corruption in Mobile County during his time as U.S. Attorney. In the 1980s, both city and county government in Mobile were riddled with corruption. Jeff showed great courage by standing up to those powerful individuals and sending over half a dozen people to jail. Without his willingness to stand up for the law and root out corruption, I am not sure our area would be where we are today. Having a competent, ethical local government is a critical component when it comes to recruiting new businesses.” (Rep. Byrne, “Sessions Perfect Pick for Attorney General,” Byrne.house.gov, 11/27/2016)

REP. MIKE ROGERS (R-AL): “Jeff Sessions is a man of the greatest integrity and character. He will do an outstanding job as the Attorney General of the United States. He has served Alabama with the utmost distinction, boundless vigor and endless determination. He will bring those same qualities and more to the Department of Justice to enforce the law.” (Rep. Rogers, Press Release, 11/18/2016)

REP. MO BROOKS (R-AL): “[Sen. Sessions] is an outstanding choice to be America’s next Attorney General. With decades of distinguished service on the Senate Judiciary Committee, as Alabama Attorney General, and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, President-elect Trump could hardly have made a better choice to lead the Justice Department. Senator Sessions’ commitment to the rule of law and to the Constitution will mean progress for American jurisprudence, and I congratulate him on this historic appointment.” (Rep. Brooks, Press Release, 11/18/2016)

REP. GARY PALMER (R-AL): “As a former U.S. Attorney in Mobile and Alabama’s Attorney General, as well as a United States Senator, Senator Sessions defended the Constitution and held firm to our founding principles. Over the past 20 years, Senator Sessions has proven himself to be an intelligent, trustworthy conservative in the Senate . . . His track record of success and sound decisions make him the best possible candidate for the job. I truly believe that Senator Sessions is the right man to restore the public's confidence in our justice system.” (Rep. Palmer, Press Release, 11/18/2016)