US Senate confirms Trump pick Jeff Sessions as attorney general

The United States Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee Republican Senator Jeff Sessions as America's next attorney general. The Senate appeared strongly divided during Sessions' confirmation as he drew a vehement pushback from Democrats concerned about his record on civil rights.

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Although Democrats raised public opposition to the confirmation of the former Alabama senator, Sessions was confirmed by a 52-47 vote largely along the party lines. After Sessions was confirmed for the Cabinet position, he took the floor of chamber and called for the Congress members to have "some latitude" in their relationships with members of the other party, Reuters reported.

"I want to thank those who after it all found sufficient confidence to confirm me as the next attorney general. Denigrating people who disagree with us, I think, is not a healthy trend for our body,," Sessions said.

Democrats in the house, civil rights and even immigration groups have expressed concern over Sessions' controversial positions on race, immigration and criminal justice reform. In an attempt to deter the Congress members from voting for Sessions, Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday had read a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which criticised Sessions for his civil rights record.

The US Senate on Wednesday also voted on advancing Representative Tom Price's nomination to head the US Department of Health and Human Services. Reports state that the Senate is likely to vote for Price's confirmation on Friday.

Trump's controversial pick for the position of education secretary Betsy DeVos was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, which also drew sharp rebuke from many including two Republicans who opposed DeVos' confirmation citing she knows very little about the American education system.