Sen. Jeff Sessions’ (R-Ala.) nomination to be the next Attorney General is facing considerable pushback from civil-rights organizations, and for good reason. By any fair measure, the Alabama Republican’s record on race and civil rights is deeply controversial.But for some of his allies, this isn’t a legitimate subject of inquiry. Indeed, as CNN reported, one of Sessions’ Alabama congressional colleagues believes the GOP senator is a victim — facing discrimination because of the color of his skin.
Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks said in a radio interview on Tuesday that criticism of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who is Donald Trump’s pick to be attorney general, is part of an ongoing “war on whites” by Democrats.”It’s really about political power and racial division and what I’ve referred to on occasion as the ‘war on whites.’ They are trying to motivate the African-American vote to vote-bloc for Democrats by using every ‘Republican is a racist’ tool that they can envision,” the Republican congressman said on “The Morning Show With Toni & Gary” on WBHP 800 Alabama radio. “Even if they have to lie about it.”
Brooks, a far-right congressman with an unsettling record of rhetorical and political excesses, is considered a top contender for Sessions’ Senate seat if his nomination is confirmed.And if Brooks’ concerns about a “war on whites” sounds familiar, there’s a good reason for that.Regular readers may recall our coverage from August 2014, when Brooks first declared that Democrats in general have launched a “war on whites” by telling white people they “hate everybody else.”Offered an opportunity to walk this back, Brooks actually dug deeper, reiterating his belief that Democrats are responsible for waging a “war on whites,” and adding at the time, “[I]f you look at current federal law, there is only one skin color that you can lawfully discriminate against. That’s Caucasians – whites.”Yes, a sitting congressman — and possibly a soon-to-be senator — believes white people are victims who face discrimination in American society, and who apparently deserve public sympathy for their plight.I have a hunch this isn’t the message Jeff Sessions is hoping to hear from his supporters, but this is where we find ourselves.
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Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."