Jeff Sessions is Sworn in as Attorney General
On Thursday, former Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions was sworn in as the 84th Attorney General of the United States. Sessions’ confirmation arrived on the same day as Trump issued three more executive orders beefing up several aspects of law enforcement. Sessions was the first U.S. Senator to formally endorse Trump’s candidacy, and he has been an exceptionally vocal opponent of cannabis in the past.
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Sessions in a narrow 52-47 vote. “Mr. President, I thank you for this great honor,” Sessions said. “It’s something that I never thought would happen in my life.” Sessions will head the U.S. Department of Justice and serve as the nation’s highest legal officer that represents the government.
The initial announcement of the possibility of the appointment of Sessions as attorney general sent civil rights activists and cannabis activists into a frenzy. Many cannabis advocates believe Sessions would be terrible for legal cannabis. Sessions notoriously claimed that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” He’s criticized legal cannabis many other times. Last month, Sessions offered disappointingly vague comments about whether he’d enforce federal laws in states that have legalized cannabis. Sessions has been instrumental in crafting the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Sessions took the oath of office from none other than Vice President Mike Pence. President Trump reiterated his focus on cracking down on crime in the United States. “We face the menace of rising crime and the threat of deadly terror,” Trump said at Sessions’ swearing-in ceremony. “He’s trained better for it than anybody else.” Trump called Sessions a man of integrity and principal. Trump’s first statement is demonstrably false, according to FBI crime statistics that indicate a decline in overall violent crimes over decades of time.
The three executive orders, which were announced during the ceremony, include ramping up efforts against drug cartels, creating a national force against violent crime and an order that protects police from violence on the streets.
Sessions took part in the tradition of greeting staffers in the Justice Department, as well as directors of the FBI, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshall Service.
