Derrick Johnson, President & CEO of the NAACP, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of William Barr for Attorney General. He will testify on Wednesday, January 16 at 9:30 a.m.
President Johnson will urge the Senate to reject William Barr’s nomination. You can read his testimony here.
During his testimony, President Johnson will highlight the following points:
This nomination is essential to the future of our democracy and civil rights. Under President Donald Trump and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, we have witnessed the worst erosion of civil rights in modern history. Sessions decimated the Civil Rights Division, known as the crown jewel of the Department. He reversed longstanding policies and positions which enjoyed bipartisan support and protected the civil rights of our nation’s most vulnerable communities.
Now more than ever, our country needs a friend of civil rights and guardian of justice to restore the integrity and independence of the Justice Department. The next Attorney General must demonstrate fealty to equal justice under law. The next Attorney General must be willing to reverse course and place the Department back on track to fulfill its historic role in safeguarding our constitutional and civil rights. The next Attorney General must enforce our nation’s civil rights laws with vigor and resolve.
William Barr’s record disqualifies him from leading the Department at this critical time in history. He was a general in the War on Drugs, which devastated communities of color. He praised Sessions’ leadership on precisely those actions that have undermined the rights and protections of African Americans. He has sided against the rights of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. He lacks the record of commitment to civil rights required by a leader entrusted with the solemn duty of promoting equal justice for all.
We strongly urge the Senate to vote against William Barr’s confirmation.
