Confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s cabinet picks began this week. Senator Jeff Sessions, Trump’s choice for attorney general, was the first to testify. Although Sessions denounced an outright ban on Muslims entering the US, he reiterated Trump’s call for a stronger vetting process. Rex Tillerson, Trump’s choice for secretary of state, also testified he did not support a “blanket rejection” of people because of their religion. Tillerson added that although Islam is a “great faith,” Americans are right to be concerned about radical Islam.

Many religious groups have expressed concerns about Trump’s cabinet nominees. On Monday (January 9), hundreds of clergy members and demonstrators of various faiths held a rally in Washington opposing the nomination of Sessions:

Rev. William J. Barber II: “Sessions’ immoral record shows consistent support for ideological extremism, racist and classist policies, and the writing of discrimination into laws….To put him in charge of the Department of Justice is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”