Hundreds of people in Tennessee joined demonstrators across the country last night to protest President Trump’s decision to hire Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general, after firing Jeff Sessions.
The protest, called Nobody Is Above The Law, also called for the special investigation into Russia to be protected.
The protesters’ main demand is for Robert Mueller to continue the investigation into potential interference by Russia into the 2016 elections, and for Whitaker to not oversee Mueller’s work.
The fear that Trump could end the probe drove people like Jennifer Gentry, a teacher, to gather in front of the federal building in downtown Nashville.
“This is one that I made a pledge to myself that, if the investigation was under threat, that I would come out,” Gentry said.
Another demonstrator, Jack Richardson, was holding a red sign with white letters that read “Hands Off Special Counsel.”
Richardson is a college student and he came to the protest with his roommate.
“There’s so much chaos going on, and I don’t agree with it,” Richardson said. “I’ve gotten irritated enough in my dorm room about politics that I want to come out and make a difference.”
Similar demonstrations were held across the state, including in Chattanooga, Memphis and Murfreesboro. Organizers said 900 such protests were held nationwide.
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