Gov. Jerry Brown: 'We know the Trump administration is full of liars'

California Gov. Jerry Brown attacked Jeff Sessions on Wednesday. Click through the gallery for reactions from other politicians. California Gov. Jerry Brown attacked Jeff Sessions on Wednesday. Click through the gallery for reactions from other politicians. Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Gov. Jerry Brown: 'We know the Trump administration is full of liars' 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

In the wake of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' strident anti-immigration speech in Sacramento Wednesday, Gov. Jerry Brown ripped into Sessions, accusing him of going to war on California and saying the Trump administration is "full of liars."

A day after announcing the Department of Justice would sue California over three immigration laws he claims are unconstitutional, Sessions said he intends to use "every power" possible to stop California from limiting the powers of law enforcement.

He also attacked Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf for her decision to warn her city of impending raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement late last month, accusing her of having a "radical open-borders agenda."

Asked about Sessions' claim that California's immigration laws endanger those who work in law enforcement, Brown did not pull punches in his Sacramento press conference.

"Look, we know the Trump administration is full of liars. They've pled guilty already to the special counsel," said Brown.

"There's nothing that stops the sheriff running the jails from working with ICE," he added.

He went on to call the notion that California wants to protect criminals or secede "lies" and said Sessions should apologize for bringing Washington-style dishonesty to California.

"I call upon him to apologize to the people of California," he said.

"It's not about the truth, it's not about protecting our state, it's about dividing America," he said of Sessions's announcement. "This is basically going to war against the state of California, the engine of the American economy."

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter