News

ACLU: No reason for Sessions to testify behind closed doors

by Rebecca Savransky - 06/11/17 11:48 AM ET

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is expressing concern over recent reports that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be testifying next week in a closed hearing.

“There is absolutely no reason why the hearing room doors should be shut, cameras turned off, and all American citizens left in the dark when Sessions testifies,” Christopher Anders, deputy director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, said in a statement on Sunday.

“Democracy shouldn’t take place behind closed doors. More than 20 million people watched Comey’s testimony last week, and they should not be blocked from participating in democracy this week.”

{mosads}Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee this week to respond to former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony about him last week.

A Justice Department official told The Washington Post the committee hearing will likely be closed to the public.

Sessions was originally supposed to testify in front of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees this week, but said in a statement that he will send a deputy to that hearing instead.

In the Sunday statement, Anders said the ACLU has alerted its members and activists to watch the open appropriations hearing where Sessions was supposed to testify.

“Hundreds of ACLU activists are headed to Congress to see the hearings in person,” Anders said.

“Taking the long scheduled open hearings with Sessions and turning it into a single closed hearing would be a gut punch to the millions of Americans committed to an open and participatory democracy.”

Tags Jeff Sessions