The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed voting Tuesday morning on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general, a politically charged pick that’s receiving even more scrutiny in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration.
The panel was expected to approve and advance Sessions for a vote in the full Senate, but Democrats used a procedural move to delay the committee vote until Wednesday, a move to further prevent Trump from getting his full Cabinet in place in a timely manner.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley opened the session with a pre-emptive defense of Sessions.
“He knows the department better than any nominee for attorney general, he’s a man of his word, and most importantly he will enforce the law no matter whether he would have supported that law as a member of the Senate,” Grassley, R-Iowa, said.
But the panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, lit into Sessions, tying him to the travel ban and other actions from the new Trump administration.
“Not one order idea or pronouncement is meant to bring this country together; they only serve to drive us further apart,” Feinstein said. “It is in this context we are being asked to consider this nomination.”
Feinstein read from a Washington Post article that touted Sessions’ deep influence in Trump’s new administration – including highlights of the Alabama senator’s loyalists working on policy.
“How could we possibly conclude that this nominee is going to be independent?” Feinstein said.
Sessions has denied he was involved in drafting Trump’s travel ban. In written responses to the Judiciary Committee, he wrote: “Neither I, nor any of my current staff, had such a role.”
Feinstein also ticked through a list of attacks, saying Sessions may support overturning Roe v. Wade and had previously voiced support for enhanced interrogation – a heated item following Trump’s musings about trying to bring back waterboarding.
“These positions give me no confidence the nominee will uphold our laws and civil liberties as attorney general,” Feinstein said.
Committee Democrats held up former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired by Trump Monday night after directing Justice Department lawyers to not defend his travel ban, as a contrast against Sessions and Trump.
Photos: Trump's nominees and their confirmation hearings
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Director of National Intelligence —
Vice President Mike Pence, right, administers the oath of office to Dan Coats, the new director of national intelligence, on Thursday, March 16. Coats was accompanied by his wife, Marsha. He was confirmed by the Senate the day before.
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Director of National Intelligence —
Coats speaks on Capitol Hill before his confirmation hearing in February. The former US senator from Indiana was the US ambassador to Germany in the first term of George W. Bush's administration.
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Secretary of Energy —
New Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks at his swearing-in ceremony in Washington on Thursday, March 2. The former Texas governor was confirmed by a Senate vote of 62-37.
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Secretary of Energy —
Perry is sworn in before his confirmation hearing in January. During his testimony, Perry cast himself as an advocate for a range of energy sources, noting that he presided over the nation's leading energy-producing state. He also said he regrets once calling for the Energy Department's elimination.
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development —
Ben Carson is joined by his wife, Candy, and his granddaughter Tesora as he is sworn in as the secretary of housing and urban development on March 2. The renowned neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate was confirmed by a vote of 58-41.
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Development —
Carson greets Tesora prior to testifying before the Senate Committee of Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in January. In his opening statement, he noted that he was raised by a single mother who had a "third-grade education" and made the case that he understands the issues facing the millions of people who rely on HUD programs.
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Secretary of the Interior —
New Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signs an official document after he was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday, March 1. The former congressman from Montana was joined by his wife, Lolita, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, US Sen. Steve Daines and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox.
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Secretary of the Interior —
Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, is sworn in before his confirmation hearing in January. He pledged to review Obama administration actions that limit oil and gas drilling in Alaska, and he said he does not believe climate change is a hoax.
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Secretary of Commerce —
Pence swears in new Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross as Ross' wife, Hilary, stands by on Tuesday, February 28. The billionaire was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 72-27.
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Secretary of Commerce —
Ross, center, waits to be introduced by US Sen. Marco Rubio, right, at his confirmation hearing in January. At the hearing, Ross said he wants countries that resort to "malicious" trading tactics to be "severely" punished. He pointed the finger at China, which he called "the most protectionist country of very large countries."
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Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency —
Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito swears in Scott Pruitt as the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday, February 17. Holding the Bible is Pruitt's wife, Marlyn, and they were joined by their son, Cade. Pruitt, the former attorney general of Oklahoma, was confirmed by the Senate 52-46.
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Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency —
Pruitt testifies at his confirmation hearing in January. Pruitt said he doesn't believe climate change is a hoax, but he didn't indicate he would take swift action to address environmental issues that may contribute to climate change. He said there is still debate over how to respond.
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Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Director, Office of Management and Budget —
Pence shakes hands with Mick Mulvaney after swearing him in as the new director of the Office of Management and Budget on Thursday, February 16. Mulvaney's wife, Pam, looks on. Mulvaney had been a congressman since 2011.
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Director, Office of Management and Budget —
Mulvaney testifies before the Senate Budget Committee in January. He didn't back off his views that entitlement programs need revamping to survive -- and he didn't back away from some of his past statements on the matter. President Donald Trump, during his campaign, pledged not to touch Social Security or Medicare.
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
Administrator, Small Business Administration —
Linda McMahon is joined by her six grandchildren as she is sworn in as chief of the Small Business Administration on Tuesday, February 14. McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, was confirmed by a vote of 81-19.
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Administrator, Small Business Administration —
McMahon speaks during her confirmation hearing. She stepped down from her WWE duties in 2009 and ran for the Senate in 2010 and 2012.
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs —
Pence watches David Shulkin, the new secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, speak at his swearing-in ceremony on February 14. Shulkin was confirmed by a unanimous vote in the Senate.
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Secretary of Veterans Affairs —
Shulkin speaks at his confirmation hearing. He was the VA's undersecretary for health, a position in which he oversaw more than 1,700 health care sites across the United States.
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Secretary of the Treasury —
Trump watches as Steven Mnuchin is sworn in as treasury secretary on Monday, February 13. The Senate vote was 53-47, mostly along party lines.
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Secretary of the Treasury —
Mnuchin arrives for his confirmation hearing in January. Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker, faced policy questions about taxes, the debt ceiling and banking regulation.
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Andrew Harnik/AP
Secretary of Health and Human Services —
Pence shakes hands with Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price -- who was accompanied by his wife, Betty -- after a swearing-in ceremony on Friday, February 10. Price, a former congressman from Georgia, was confirmed 52-47 in a middle-of-the-night vote along party lines.
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Secretary of Health and Human Services —
Price testifies at his confirmation hearing in January. Price confronted accusations of investing in companies related to his legislative work in Congress -- and in some cases, repealing financial benefits from those investments. Price firmly denied any wrongdoing and insisted that he has taken steps to avoid any conflicts of interests.
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Attorney General —
Trump watches as Pence administers the oath of office to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the White House Oval Office on Thursday, February 9. Sessions, one of Trump's closest advisers and his earliest supporter in the Senate, was confirmed by a 52-47 vote that was mostly along party lines. He was accompanied to the swearing-in by his wife, Mary.
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Attorney General —
In his wide-ranging confirmation hearing, Sessions pledged to recuse himself from all investigations involving Hillary Clinton based on inflammatory comments he made during a "contentious" campaign season. He also defended his views of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion, saying he doesn't agree with it but would respect it.
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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Secretary of Education —
Pence swears in Education Secretary Betsy DeVos next to her husband, Dick, on Tuesday, February 7. Pence cast a historic tie-breaking vote to confirm DeVos after the Senate was divided 50-50.
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
Secretary of Education —
DeVos, a top Republican donor and school-choice activist,prepares to testify at her confirmation hearing in January. DeVos stood firm in her long-held beliefs that parents -- not the government -- should be able to choose where to send children to school, pledging to push voucher programs if she was confirmed.
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Carolyn Kaster/AP
Secretary of State —
Trump watches as Pence swears in Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on Wednesday, February 1. Tillerson's wife, Renda St. Clair, holds the Bible. Tillerson, a former CEO of ExxonMobil, was confirmed in the Senate by a vote of 56 to 43.
Photos: Trump's nominees and their confirmation hearings
Photos: Trump's nominees and their confirmation hearings
Alex Wong/Getty Images
Secretary of Transportation —
Elaine Chao, Trump's pick for transportation secretary, signs the affidavit of appointment during her swearing-in ceremony in Washington on Tuesday, January 31. Chao is joined, from left, by Pence; her father, James Chao; and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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Secretary of Transportation —
Chao testifies at her confirmation hearing in January. Chao, who was approved by a 93-6 vote, was deputy secretary of transportation under George H.W. Bush and labor secretary under George W. Bush.
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Evan Vucci/AP
UN Ambassador —
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley takes the oath of office as she becomes the US Ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday, January 25. She is joined by US Sen. Marco Rubio and staffer Rebecca Schimsa as she is sworn in by the vice president.
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UN Ambassador —
During her confirmation hearing, Haley rapped the UN for its treatment of Israel and indicated that she thinks the US should reconsider its contribution of 22% of the annual budget. "The UN and its specialized agencies have had numerous successes," Haley said. "However, any honest assessment also finds an institution that is often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers. ... I will take an outsider's look at the institution."
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CIA Director —
Mike Pompeo is joined by his wife, Susan, as he is sworn in as CIA director on Monday, January 23. Pompeo, who is vacating his seat in the US House, was confirmed by the Senate in a 66-32 vote.
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CIA Director —
Pompeo is sworn in at his confirmation hearing. Along with Russia, Pompeo said other global threats include Iran's growing influence in the Middle East, ISIS' grip over major urban areas, and the conflict in Syria.
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Secretary of Defense —
Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, President Trump's pick for defense secretary, is sworn in after being confirmed by a 98-1 vote on Friday, January 20.
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Secretary of Defense —
Mattis testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He emerged from his confirmation hearing with broad support after he took a strong posture against Russian President Vladimir Putin and answered tough questions on women and gays in combat.
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Secretary of Homeland Security —
Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly signs his confirmation letter on January 20. He is joined by his wife, Karen.
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Secretary of Homeland Security —
Kelly testifies at his hearing. He was previously the head of US Southern Command, which is responsible for all military activities in South America and Central America.
“During the campaign, President Trump sought my and my staff’s input on a number of matters on which I have taken very public positions as a senator; however, it would be impossible for me to know the degree to which that input was relied upon in formulating or drafting the Executive Orders in question,” Sessions wrote.
Grassley echoed that Tuesday morning.
“Some on the order side have raised concerns about Sen. Sessions, whether he’s involved, if he was involved in drafting the executive order. It’s not clear to me why it would be a problem if he was involved. But the fact of the matter is he was not involved,” Grassley said.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a veteran Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, focused more of his attacks on Trump than Sessions.
The Vermont Democrat picked through Trump’s widely debunked claims of voter fraud, ending by saying: “The next thing we’re going to hear is that unicorns voted.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, dismissed the Democratic outcry as sour grapes over the election results.
“Our friends on the other side seem to be upset about the outcome of the election on November 8. I guess you could say they’re going through the stages of grief,” he said.
He added that Yates, the acting AG, should have resigned if she felt she couldn’t execute her job.
“What she should have done if she couldn’t do her job was to quit … I believe President Trump was entirely within his rights to fire her,” he said.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Laura Jarrett contributed to this report.
