Attorney General Jeff Sessions Criticizes Hawaii Judge He Helped Confirm

The most important lawyer in the US, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, continues to show contempt for both the Department of Justice and other judges he doesn't agree with. Sessions recently criticized Judge Derrick Watson for blocking Donald Trump's travel ban, as well the state of Hawaii.

In an interview with the Mark Levin Show, Sessions made his feelings clear about both Judge Watson and the state of Hawaii. "I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and constitutional power," said Sessions. He also called the ninth circuit of appeals "very, very liberal" and believes that Trump's ban will win in court eventually. Sessions's comments were immediately met with ire from both of Hawaii's senators.

Senator Mazie Hirono quickly responded to the comments.

Senator Brian Schatz didn't take long to respond either.

Kyle Griffin, a producer at MSNBC's The Last Word, also pointed out the irony in Sessions's comments, considering he voted to confirm Judge Watson.

The Department of Justice released a follow-up statement on Sessions's comments. "Hawaii is, in fact, an island in the Pacific — a beautiful one where the Attorney General's granddaughter was born," Ian D. Prior told The Huffington Post. "The point, however, is that there is a problem when a flawed opinion by a single judge can block the President's lawful exercise of authority to keep the entire country safe."

Senator Schatz didn't think this was a sufficient response.

Sessions continued to double down on his comments in an interview with CNN on April 21. "I wasn't criticizing the judge or the island," he said to CNN. "I think it's a fabulous place and had a granddaughter born there. But I got to tell you — it's a point worth making that a single sitting judge out of 600, 700 district judges can issue an order stopping a presidential executive order that I believe is fully constitutional, designed to protect the United States of America from terrorist attacks." Sessions didn't stop there. "I was just raising the point of that issue of a single judge taking such a dramatic action and the impact it can have."

Senator Schatz called it "unreal" that Sessions wouldn't simply apologize and Senator Hirono followed up her previous comments with an op-ed for CNN. "There are fights worth fighting," she wrote. "This is one of them."