Jeff Sessions Faces Backlash on Social Media for Controversial Hawaii Remark

“I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and constitutional power,” Mr. Sessions said this week in an interview on a talk radio show, “The Mark Levin Show.”

Sessions’ statement drew criticism from some senators and the general public.

“Hawaii was built on the strength of diversity & immigrant experiences — including my own,” Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, wrote on Twitter. “Jeff Sessions’ comments are ignorant & dangerous.”

​She also wrote, “Hey Jeff Sessions, this #IslandinthePacific has been the 50th state for going on 58 years. And we won’t succumb to your dog whistle politics.”

​The other senator from Hawaii, Brian Schatz, who is also a Democrat, expressed similar sentiments, writing on Twitter: “Mr. Attorney General: You voted for that judge. And that island is called Oahu. It’s my home. Have some respect.”

​The Justice Department tried to clarify Sessions' remarks on Thursday, saying that “Hawaii is, in fact, an island in the Pacific — a beautiful one where the Attorney General's granddaughter was born,” a spokesman told CNN. “The point, however, is that there is a problem when a flawed opinion by a single judge can block the president's lawful exercise of authority to keep the entire country safe.”

However, such a response didn’t stop the backlash from continuing.

Sessions' remarks had inspired passionate testimonies on Twitter from others, using the hashtag #islandinthepacific.

​The federal judge in question is Derrick K. Watson, who last month blocked Trump's revised travel ban just before it was to go into effect. Watson said that it is likely to be found unconstitutional.