NEW YORK — In response to reports that Sen. Jeff Sessions will be nominated for the position of Attorney General and Rep. Mike Pompeo for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero made the following statement:

“As a matter of organizational policy, the American Civil Liberties Union does not take a position supporting or opposing presidential or judicial nominations. We do, however, educate the American people and the Congress about nominees’ records and past positions.

“Sen. Sessions has called the ACLU un-American and communist, assertions we flatly reject. His positions on LGBT rights, capital punishment, abortion rights, and presidential authority in times of war have been contested by the ACLU and other civil rights organizations. As the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement official, the attorney general is charged with protecting the rights of all Americans. In his confirmation hearings, senators, the media, and the American public should closely examine his stances on these key issues to ensure we can have confidence in his ability to uphold the Constitution and our laws on behalf of all Americans.

“Congressman Pompeo’s positions on bulk surveillance and Guantanamo Bay also raise serious civil liberties concerns about privacy and due process. These positions and others merit serious public scrutiny through a confirmation process. His positions on mass surveillance have been rejected by federal courts and have been the subject of several lawsuits filed by the ACLU, including ACLU v. Clapper.”

This news release is online here: https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-statement-potential-sessions-and-pompeo-nominations

Blog post from ACLU executive director Anthony Romero, originally posted at aclu.org

Since Election Day, the ACLU has seen a renewed sense of urgency from hundreds of thousands of Americans to protect civil liberties.

In just five days, our Facebook followers have increased by 25 percent to nearly one million people; 400,000 people viewed our open letter to President-elect Trump on our website; and 150,000 new people have joined our e-mail list. We have also heard from thousands of people offering to volunteer their time and services and have received roughly 120,000 donations, totaling more than $7.2 million.

This is the greatest outpouring of support for the ACLU in our nearly 100-year history, greater than the days after 9/11. All of this support will be put to good use protecting the rights of all Americans. Immediately, we are working across the country to protect the rights of protestors and ensuring those who voice their concerns know their rights. We are also analyzing the civil liberties records of potential high-ranking federal appointees.

In the coming weeks and months, the ACLU will be focusing our legal and advocacy strength on:

• protecting the “Dreamers” who received presidential deferred action protection
• resisting any attempt to create a dragnet deportation force
• obstructing any effort to defund Planned Parenthood and other reproductive health service providers or deny reproductive rights
• preserving civil rights protections for transgender Americans
• preventing  “stop-and-frisk” policies from being adopted nationwide
• opposing any ban levied against Muslims for entry into the United States or discrimination against Muslims in the United States.

As other civil liberties' challenges arise, we will pivot — as we always have. Working in partnership with other organizations, the ACLU will do all its best to ensure that the rights and freedoms guaranteed by our founding documents are defended. Since our founding, we have held every president accountable, fighting for the rights of all Americans in courtrooms, legislatures, and beyond. With 1,100 staff across the country, an office in every state, and a growing base of support among the broader public, failure is not an option.