The Republican-controlled United States Senate Tuesday night voted to ban Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, from the debate over President Trump’s nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General.
Warren was silenced for reading from a 1986 letter that Coretta Scott sent to, among others, Sen. Strom Thurmond. The 10-page letter criticizes Sessions’ civil rights record, accusing him of using “the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.”
“She’s not throwing things, she’s not using terrible language or calling names.” Warren said during an interview with Boston Public Radio. “That was it. For that, I got shut down by [Senate majority leader ] Mitch McConnell.”
King wrote the letter in opposition to Sessions’ candidacy as a federal district judge, which was ultimately rejected by the senate, then also controlled by Republicans.
“It was relevant to the question of whether or not he should be a federal judge, and by golly, I think it’s relevant to the question of whether or not he should be attorney general,” Warren said. “Actions speak louder than words... everybody has a record in life for what they’ve done.”
Republicans muzzled Warren by invoking an arcane 1801provision known as Rule XIX, which states, “directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.” McConnell said Warren’s reading of the letter “impugned the motives and conduct of our colleague from Alabama.”
When Warren asked to continue speaking, McConnell objected, and Sen. Steve Daines sustained the objection, effectively shutting Warren down. “Objection is heard,” Daines said,“The senator will take her seat.”
Warren voiced concern with Sessions’ record on civil rights and immigration, including his vote against the Violence Against Women Act and his position on President Trump’s current immigration order.
“The attorney general of the United States has two jobs,” she said. “One is to be the chief law enforcement officer... But the other part is to stand up to the president of the United States when you believe that president is acting in an illegal or unconstitutional manner... We really face the possibility that we may just have an out-of-control president. We may have a constitutional crisis here. At that moment, we have got to have an attorney general that we can depend on. That we can depend on to stand up for the equality of all people in this country, that we can count on to stand up to the president of the United States –– I don’t believe that’s Jeff Sessions.”
According to Warren, the current travel ban for citizens from seven Muslim nations makes King’s letter more relevant than ever. “When you read this letter, and you think about what Martin Luther King [Jr.] went through...you think about Coretta Scott King— these were real people within our lifetimes who fought, and bled, –literally and died. They did it to try to get the vote to try to create more opportunity, not just for some of us, but for all of us. That was their calling. You can feel it in the words, you can feel the calling. It’s a powerful moment.”
In an apparent show of solidarity, King’s letter was read later on the senate floor by at least four colleagues: Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown, Jeff Merkley, and Tom Udall.
When asked why these men were allowed to read the letter, yet she was silenced, Warren said, “I don’t know. I’m just lucky, I guess!”
To hear Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s full interview with Boston Public Radio, click on the audio link above.
