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Democrats to press attorney general pick as hearing opens

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sessions, is set to be questioned by his peers at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 10. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File) FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2016, file photo, Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sessions, is set to be questioned by his peers at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 10. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)

By Associated Press January 10, 2017 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general is set to face hours of questioning as his confirmation hearing opens in the Senate.

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions faces his peers on the Republican-led Judiciary Committee today, and witnesses who support and oppose his nomination will testify on Wednesday.

Democrats are expected to challenge Sessions’ commitment to civil rights and press him on his conservative views on immigration policy. But Republicans have expressed support for him and are expected to secure enough votes needed to confirm him as the country’s top law enforcement official.

Sessions was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and before that served as state attorney general and a United States attorney.

If confirmed to the position, he would succeed current Attorney General Loretta Lynch.