Jeff Sessions, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, vowed on January 10 to stand up to Trump if needed, saying he would oppose a ban on Muslims entering the country.
Sessions' comments came during more than 10 hours of questioning by a Senate committee responsible for confirming his appointment.
Sessions, a Republican U.S. senator from Alabama, said he would not support banning anyone from the United States on the basis of religion and that Trump's intentions were to restrict people from countries harboring terrorists, not all Muslims.
Trump had campaigned at one point on a proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country.
As attorney general, Sessions would serve as the top U.S. law-enforcement officer and be responsible for giving unbiased legal advice to the president and executive agencies.
