Attorneys general in New York and five other states are asking U.S. senators to reject President-elect Donald Trump's nomination for U.S. Attorney General. They’re concerned about Jeff Sessions' misconduct on previous legal cases. They also fear he will not extend hate crime protections to the LGBTQ community and will enforce draconian punishments for low level crimes.
If confirmed, Sessions will employ a 100,000 person army of lawyers and FBI agents. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen was not among the other attorneys general calling to reject Sessions. Nonetheless, he expressed concerned at possibly losing the cooperation of the Justice Department in matters like consumer protection and anti-trust.
"That can be very important in terms of how quickly an investigation can move forward. But if Justice steps back under Jeff Sessions, that doesn't prevent states like Connecticut from continuing our own investigations."
Jepsen pointed to the recent $863 million settlement with the credit rating agency Moody's over misleading investors as an example of the federal government-committed legal power to help states. In the future, an Attorney General Sessions could divert those resources to issues he cares more deeply about, like stopping illegal immigration.
