WASHINGTON— In response to reports that scheduled testimony by Attorney General Jeff Sessions before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will be open to the public, People For the American Way President Michael Keegan issued the following statement.

“After James Comey’s public testimony this week, it’s only fitting that Attorney General Sessions should be expected to offer his testimony with the same level of transparency. The public has a right to a full picture of the Trump administration’s ongoing misconduct, and in cases where no classified information is at stake public testimony should be a given.

“No matter what the attorney general says tomorrow, this is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the testimony he should be providing before Congress. It’s important that the Senate Judiciary Committee, in addition to the Intelligence Committee, take a look at the Trump campaign’s behavior and the ongoing cover-up. It’s also critical that this particular scandal not distract from Jeff Sessions’ ongoing campaign to dismantle key operations at the Department of Justice; the Senate should demand that he explain the drastic cuts in the Department of Justice’s budget, including attacks on programs that deeply affect vulnerable communities, including communities of color. His ongoing efforts to undermine the DOJ’s commitment to equal justice are every bit as important as his role in other Trump administration scandals.”

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

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