The Senate confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, got off to a rough start on Tuesday morning.
Sessions had not even been sworn in to begin testifying when protesters interrupted the hearing. Two men in white sheets with pointed KKK hats entered the hearing and stood on chairs, claiming to be #1 fans of Sessions, complete with foam fingers.
Protester dressed as Klansman interrupts Sen. Jeff Sessions conformation hearing on Capital Hill pic.twitter.com/nZlnPbxgb5
— agitator in chief (@soit_goes) January 10, 2017
“Jefferson Beauregard, you speak for the people!” one of them called out.
Police escorted both of the men out, while one of them can be heard to argue, “You can’t arrest me, we’re white. White people don’t get arrested. I’m a white man!”
Since the incident, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin has claimed credit for the staged protest.
Capitol Police officers remove Code Pink protester from Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing for attorney general https://t.co/VTxqOpX9ca pic.twitter.com/S5nFUE1xAe
— CNN (@CNN) January 10, 2017
In addition to the KKK-costumed protesters, Sessions’ confirmation hearing has drawn attention from pot protesters, who arrived at the hearing at 4:20 in the morning wearing red shirts that read, “Great Americans Smoke Sessions.”
Immigration protesters also attended the hearing, protesting Sessions’ harsh stance against immigration with signs that read, ““Stand Against Xenophobia.”
The confirmation hearing is expected to be a rough fight for Sessions, with Congressional Black Caucus members such as Cory Booker expected to testify against him during the hearings.