Kamala Harris, the first Indian-American to be elected to the US Senate, has criticised President-elect Donald Trump's decision to tap Senator Jeff Sessions for the post of attorney general.
"In viewing the role of the US Attorney General through this lens, I have deep concerns about Senator Sessions' nomination.
Particularly, I am concerned with his support for policies that would undermine core Department of Justice functions and his views that are incompatible with constitutional guarantees," Harris said in a statement.
"Like all presidential nominees, Senator Sessions deserves a fair and thorough hearing by the Senate, and I look forward to actively engaging in that process," said the 51-year-old Democratic party leader, who last week created history by becoming the first Indian origin person to be elected as US Senator.
While her mother was from India, her father was from Jamaica.
Harris said while she has many concerns with President-elect Trump's nominations to date, the nomination of Senator Sessions is particularly troubling.
"Justice Robert Jackson, one of the most esteemed justices to serve on the Supreme Court, wrote of the US Department of Justice, 'The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America. His discretion is tremendous',"she said.
"I know from my own career in law enforcement, civil rights, and the six years I have spent as California's Attorney General how important this role is for our society.
The Attorney General is the people's lawyer, a public servant who is sworn to uphold the promise of equal protection under the law and to ensure the fair administration of justice for all," Harris said.
The two-term California Attorney General, Harris would be sworn in as US Senator on January 3, 2017.
