WASHINGTON _ Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand voiced concerns Monday over whether her colleague, Sen. Jeff Sessions, should be considered for the post of attorney general in the coming Donald Trump administration.
Gillibrand, the junior senator from New York, told WNYC she had "grave concerns" about Sessions because of the dangerous and incendiary nature of remarks he made about Donald Trump's leaked "Access Hollywood."
"I have to say, those comments are so offensive, and so dangerous," Gillibrand said. "And if he doesn't understand the basics of what sexual assault is, I don't know how he can be attorney general. Because, honestly, that's one of the attorney general's jobs."
Gillibrand is well known in the Senate for fighting sexual assault and harassment on college campuses. She spoke out passionately after the 2005 tape showing Trump boasting about grabbing women was released in October.
In the days following the release of the tapes, Sessions refused to characterize Trump's words as describing sexual assault, saying it would be a stretch to do so.
Sessions has also been accused of racism for comments he is alleged to have made in the 1980s, and civil rights groups across the country have expressed concerns about his possible nomination.
