In his first speech as United States attorney general, Jeff Sessions stated he will dedicate “every ounce of strength” he has to “preserving and protecting the Constitution and the safety of this country.”
Jeff Sessions listens as President Donald Trump introduces him prior to being sworn in as the new U.S. Attorney General in the Oval Office of the White House February 9, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“We have a crime problem,” Sessions told attendees at the White House. “I wish the blip, the rise that we are seeing in crime in America today were some sort of aberration or a blip, but my best judgment having been involved in criminal law enforcement for many years is that this is a dangerous permanent trend that places the health and safety of the American people at risk.”
WATCH:
“We will deploy the talents and abilities of the Department of Justice in the most effective way possible to confront this rise in crime and to protect the people of our country,” he continued. “We have an increased threat since I was United States attorney from terrorism… We’re going to respond effectively to the threat of terrorism, and you can count on your Department of Justice to do so in an effective way.”
Sessions also called for a “lawful system of immigration, one that serves the interests of the people of the United States.”
“That’s not wrong, that’s not immoral, that’s not indecent,” he continued. “We need to end this lawlessness that threatens the public safety and pulls down wages of working Americans.”
