January 10, 2017

Protesters Dressed in KKK Robes Interrupt Opening Minutes of Jeff Sessions’ Confirmation Hearing

“White people don’t get arrested!”


Moments before the start of Sen. Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing on Tuesday, chaotic scenes broke out in the Senate Judiciary Committee, as two demonstrators dressed as Ku Klux Klan members shouted in protest against Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. They were swiftly escorted from the room.

“You can’t arrest me! I’m white!” one of the protesters said as officials removed them from the hearing.

The incident comes as civil rights groups urge Senate Judiciary Committee members to reject Sessions’ nomination. Many of them point to his past efforts to block black judges from serving on the federal branch as evidence he is not fit to lead the Justice Department.

Breaking with long-standing Senate tradition, Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, will join civil rights hero Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia, on Tuesday to testify against Sessions’ appointment.

Sporadic protests continued throughout the first hour of the confirmation hearing, interrupting Sen. Sessions’ opening remarks.

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