“I have gotten to know Jeff over my four years in the Senate, and have found him to be a consistently fair person," Tim Scott said. | AP Photo Tim Scott endorses Sessions

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the sole black Republican in the Senate, said Monday he would support Jeff Sessions for attorney general — a critical endorsement on the eve of the confirmation hearings that will undoubtedly scrutinize the nominee’s controversial history with race issues.

Scott didn’t shy away from invoking Sessions’ derailed bid in 1986 to be confirmed as a federal judge, when the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Sessions following allegations of racially tinged comments as a federal prosecutor. It was because of that history Scott said he put “special emphasis” on researching the record of the Alabama Republican senator and deliberating whether to confirm him, although he doesn’t sit on the Judiciary Committee.


In particular, Scott took the extra step of inviting Sessions to Charleston last month, hosting roundtables with black pastors, law enforcement officials and minority leaders. At the time, Scott told the Post and Courier that he wanted to show Sessions firsthand how his home state dealt with issues of crime and diversity.

“We had what both the attendees and I believe to be a very productive conversation, which gave us all a clearer picture of not only Jeff’s policy positions, but what is in his heart,” Scott said in his Monday statement. Sessions will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Of the allegations aired during his 1986 hearing, Scott noted that some are “disputed” and he highlighted other components of Sessions’ record, such as prosecuting a member of the Ku Klux Klan and voting to confirm Eric Holder, the first black U.S. attorney general in history.

“We may not agree on everything, but you would be hard-pressed to find a nominee for any post that any Senator is in 100 percent agreement with,” Scott said. “I have gotten to know Jeff over my four years in the Senate, and have found him to be a consistently fair person."

