Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday told a group of conservative high school students that colleges have created a generation of “sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes.”

He also chuckled at a chant of “Lock her up” during the speech, referencing a rallying cry used by then-candidate Donald Trump against his 2016 presidential election opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Trump used the “Lock her up” catchphrase as part of his claim that Mrs. Clinton should be jailed for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Speaking at Turning Point USA High School Leadership Summit at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Mr. Sessions went on a fiery tirade accusing colleges of coddling students. He railed against the liberal ideology of safe spaces and grade inflation.

“Rather than molding a generation of mature, well-informed adults, some schools are doing everything they can to create a generation of sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes,” he said.

He also mocked Cornell University for holding a “cry-in” after President Trump’s election in 2016 and the University of Michigan and Tufts University, where students were encouraged to draw their feelings about the president’s victory.

“This is a disservice to their students and a disservice to this nation,” he said.

These polices, Mr. Sessions said, are shutting down open debate, especially conservative viewpoints. He told the crowd that under some university policies, speech can be stopped just because someone is offended.

“It doesn’t matter how reasonable, how peaceable or how true their speech may be — if somebody doesn’t like it, then it’s forbidden,” he said.

During the end of his speech, the “Lock her up” chants broke out.

“Well, I can tell this group isn’t going to have Play-Doh when you get attacked in college and you get involved in a debate,” Mr. Sessions said. “I like this bunch, I gotta tell you. You’re not going to be backing down. Go get ‘em. Go get ‘em.”

The chants of “Lock her up” started, then grew louder.

“Lock her up,” Mr. Sessions chuckled. “I heard that a long time over the last campaign.”

Former FBI Director James B. Comey had recommended in 2016 that no charges be filed against Mrs. Clinton, and the then-U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch declined to pursue charges.

Mr. Trump has badgered Mr. Sessions for not reopening the Clinton investigation. The president called Mr. Sessions “very weak” on Mrs. Clinton’s case.

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