Anna Merlan's discussions

Bob Dole just gave a speech in support of Mike Pompeo, and now he’s giving his opening spiel. Here it is in full. Read more

James Mattis is a normal person, which is news right now. Read more

The Pompeo hearing is in temporary recess because the lights went out. Which, from a conspiracy perspective, is fun. Read more

At Mike Pompeo’s hearing, Senator Richard Burr is noting that procedurally they actually can’t vote on his confirmation, since he hasn’t been formally nominated. Everything right now is organized and calm and nothing is fucked here.

So far this is a lovefest. We have learned that James Mattis has many books Read more

Good morning! First up is James Mattis, who I keep half-expecting to come to his senses and quit. He’s not! He’s gonna do this thing!

Richmond is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he’s saying that they oppose Sessions’ appointment. “Senator Sessions has advanced an agenda that will do great harm to African American communities.” Says he’s demonstrated a “total disregard” to the equal application of the law as it applies to black… Read more

A protester against Guantanamo just interrupted Cedric Richmond, a black Democratic Senator with a strong human rights record, so that’s pretty stupid. Read more

In particularly powerful testimony against Jeff Sessions, John Lewis is testifying about his historic participation in the Selma to Mongtomery marches. Read more

Willie Huntley speaking for Sessions: “At no point in the time that I’ve known Jeff Sessions has he demonstrated any racial insensitivity.” And now here comes civil rights hero John Lewis to fuck that right up.

Corey Booker is deeeestroyyyiiinnnnng Jeff Sessions, saying he’s breaking with longstanding tradition (Senators don’t usually testify against each other) because Sessions’ record is so poor. Read more

The Sessions hearing is fun again: Senator Whitehouse is mentioning that Sessions has been enthusiastically endorsed by Neo Nazis, including chief Nazi troll website the Daily Stormer. Cornell Brooks of the NAACP says Sessions hasn’t “sufficiently described a Department of Justice fully committed to enforcing the…

The back-and-forth between Sessions’ supporters and his detractors is pretty fun to witness. Here’s David Cole from the ACLU, saying his record “raises serious questions” about his fitness to be an AG “for all the American people.” The ACLU almost never testifies at these hearings. Cole says Sessions has shown… Read more

At the Sessions hearing, Chuck Canterbury from the National Fraternal Order of Police says Sessions is good: “I can say without reservation that i have never testified with more enthusiasm... than I do for Senator Jeff Sessions.”

This is an interesting back-to-back at the Sessions hearing. First, Jayann Sepich testified in favor of him. Her daughter Katie was raped and murdered in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 2003 — she has pushed for the enactment of a law requiring that DNA samples be taken from anyone arrested for a felony and put into a… Read more

At the Sessions hearing, the next speaker is Amita Swadhin, a survivor of childhood sexual assault at the hands of her father. She’s urging the committee not to confirm Sessions, saying he has “minimized” sexual assault, as when he said in October that Trump’s “grab her by the pussy” remarks didn’t constitute sexual… Read more

Oscar Vasquez, who came here as an undocumented child and became a U.S. Army sergeant, talks about the importance of the DREAM Act and DACA, which Sessions has called “constitutionally questionable.” Read more

Here’s former attorney general Michael Mukasey. “The person you saw and heard yesterday is very much the person I came to know beginning in 2007, when I first appeared before this committee: principled, intelligent, knowledgeable, thorough, modest” and committee to the rule of law. He’s a fan! And that is his whole… Read more

Day two of the Sessions confirmation hearing has begun. Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is saying he’s disturbed that the hearings are happening before ethics and financial disclosures are completed for most of these people. “It’s not the Senate’s fault that the Trump administration was not prepared and it did… Read more

Good morning, buds. Is this queasy feeling excitement? Fear? Are my intestines trying to escape my body cavity and flee to some country with a stable transfer of power and socialized healthcare?