Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
During his confirmation hearing to become President-elect Donald Trump’s first attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions on Tuesday said he does not support a blanket ban on Muslims entering the United States. After saying he would be willing to tell Trump “no” and not be the president’s “mere rubber stamp,” Sessions answered questions on whether he would support a ban on Muslim immigration, as the president-elect has proposed. “I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious groups should be denied admission to the United States,” he said, noting, however, that Trump has clarified his position to be that the U.S. should restrict immigration from Muslim countries that allegedly support terrorism. At another point, Sessions said he would be ready to recuse himself from any further investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, considering his active role in a Trump campaign that repeatedly used “lock her up” as a mantra against their rival.