Illinois' senior U.S. senator, Dick Durbin, is raising questions about President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general. Durbin met yesterday with nominee and fellow Senator Jeff Sessions. Durbin, a Democrat, says his first priority was to ask Sessions about violence in Chicago. There were 762 murders reported there last year.
He says his Republican colleague was noncommittal on whether he'd follow through on the recommendations in an upcoming Justice Department report on the Chicago Police Department. Durbin also says Sessions would not commit to continuing federal grants for the CPD.
"This seems to me like a very easy question to answer, 'Yes, within budget, I'll do everything I can to make sure we have resources to help law enforcement.'"
Durbin did not go so far as to say he'd oppose Sessions' nomination, but said he had deep concerns and wanted to ask more questions.
