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That is what an attorney general must be willing and able to do, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said of Sally Yates. | Getty

Democrats use the furor over Trump's dismissal of the acting attorney general to drag out committee vote for Sessions.

By Seung Min Kim

01/31/17 10:58 AM EST

Updated 01/31/17 02:07 PM EST

The already contentious battle over confirming Jeff Sessions as attorney general blew up further on Tuesday as Democrats used the surprise firing of Sally Yates as acting head of the Justice Department to argue that Sessions wont be sufficiently independent from President Donald Trump.

And Democrats successfully dragged out the Sessions debate long enough that his committee vote got kicked to Wednesday. His eventual confirmation is not in doubt given that he has support from all Republicans and at least one moderate Senate Democrat, but Democrats are using every lever they have to make his nomination fight as painful as possible.

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But for Democrats who, for weeks, have raised questions about Sessions ability to be an independent attorney general, Yates dramatic firing late Monday gave even more fodder on whether Sessions could be a check on a president who Democrats warn is already pushing the bounds of executive power.

That is what an attorney general must be willing and able to do, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said of Yates. I have no confidence Sen. Sessions will do that. Instead he has been the fiercest, most dedicated and most loyal promoter in Congress of the Trump agenda.

Despite requests from Republicans to keep their comments short, each Democrat on the Judiciary Committee launched into lengthy speeches criticizing Sessions' record and ties to Trump. The debate went on for so long that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the panel vote would slip to Wednesday, as Democrats prepared to invoke a rarely-used rule that committees cannot meet beyond two hours after coming into session. The Senate came into session at noon on Tuesday.

The Sessions' committee vote will be Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Yates, a holdover from the Obama administration, was unceremoniously fired Monday after she announced that she would instruct Justice Department lawyers not to defend Trumps controversial executive order barring immigrants from some Muslim-majority nations.

The directive has already triggered mass protests and confusion at airports, as well as a stream of legal challenges and court losses for the Trump administration. The executive order is also sure to play a starring role in the confirmation fight over Trumps Supreme Court nominee, who will be unveiled Tuesday.

Republicans sought to inoculate Sessions from the controversy brewing over Trumps executive order, noting at the outset of the hearing Tuesday that the Alabama Republican Trumps chief supporter from the Senate during the campaign had no fingerprints in the controversial directives.

Its not clear to me why it would be a problem even if he had been involved, Grassley said. But the fact of the matter is he wasnt.

In written responses to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sessions said neither he nor his current aides were involved in drafting the series of executive orders on immigration that were rolled out last week.

Leahy delivered a lengthy indictment of Trumps dismissal of Yates on Tuesday, slamming the president for firing an acting attorney general whom Leahy said was just doing her job.

His accusation that she betrayed the Department of Justice is dangerous, Leahy said. The attorney general is the peoples attorney. Not the presidents attorney. He or she does not wear two hats at once.

Leahy added: I have very serious doubts that Senator Sessions would be an independent attorney general.

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Sessions vote delayed as Democrats blast Yates firing - Politico