A prominent Asian Pacific American advocacy group is condemning President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to appoint Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General and Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon as one of his senior chief strategists.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), a nonprofit organization dedicated to national civil rights, recently denounced Trump’s appointees because they believe both Bannon and Sessions espouse views that are xenophobic, racist, sexist, homophobic and anti-Muslim, according to a statement released by the group.
“AAAJ condemns the President-elect’s choice for leadership positions in his Administration,” Karin Wang, the group’s vice president of communications, said. “He has chosen a known white supremacist, Steve Bannon, as his chief strategist, and he has nominated for U.S. attorney general a man, Senator Jeff Sessions, who at every opportunity has disenfranchised vulnerable communities including immigrants, racial minorities, Muslims, women and LGBT individuals.”
According to AAAJ, Sessions’ record includes having his nomination to the federal judiciary rescinded in 1986 due to comments he made about the KKK and African Americans and being on the forefront of the battle against both documented and undocumented immigrants, as well as immigration reform.
AAAJ recently started a petition directed at the United States Senate asking them to withdraw Sessions from consideration. So far, it has about 500 signatures.
Bannon, who came under fire last week for saying that there are “too many” tech executives in Silicon Valley of Asian descent during an interview, is said to be part of the alt-right movement.
“[AAAJ] refuses to accept the normalization of hate from the highest reaches of our nation’s leadership,” Wang said. “If the president-elect does not withdraw these choices, we vow to stand up against attacks on all communities. A nation divided cannot unite when the president’s leadership choices hold blatant and well-documented hostility towards so many Americans.”
