U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today released the following statement on Attorney General Jeff Sessions:
“Anyone who knows Jeff Sessions as I do can vouch for his integrity and honesty. There’s no scandal in a senator meeting an ambassador, which happens all the time. I’m disappointed the Democrats are distorting the facts to impugn Attorney General Sessions’s character. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s review is proceeding, and we should follow the facts where they lead.”
Cotton has been an ardent supporter of Sessions. In January, he slammed Sen. Cory Booker for testifying against the nomination of Sessions, calling Booker's actions "disgraceful."
Cotton and Sessions share similar views on immigration. With Sessions leaving the Senate, Cotton appears to have taken the reigns on immigration legislation. He introduced a bill last month that would limit the number of foreign nationals who are able to get green cards to reunite with their families already in the U.S.
The proposed law would also cut the number of refugees in half and eliminate the diversity visa lottery, a program that gives visas to countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
This week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Jeff Sessions to resign as attorney general after reports that Sessions spoke to Russia's ambassador twice last year, while Sessions was working as a top adviser and surrogate for Donald Trump's presidential campaign. The news was first reported by The Washington Post, and has since been confirmed by NPR's Carrie Johnson.
"There cannot be even the scintilla of doubt about the impartiality and fairness of the attorney general, the top law enforcement official of the land," Schumer said. "Because the Department of Justice should be above reproach, for the good of the country Attorney General Sessions should resign."
