Alveda C. King, the niece of civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr., accused Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) during a Fox Business interview on Wednesday of stirring up emotions and "playing the race card" by invoking the King family name during her Senate speech against President Trump's attorney general nominee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.).
"If we take a look at my [late] aunt Coretta Scott King's letter, we know that she was a peacemaker. Her intentions were never to divide during her whole life," King said. "I was her communications and correspondents secretary for several years when I was a young woman."
After Warren quoted the 1986 letter, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) cut her off and insisted that she had impugned Sessions and was in violation of Senate Rule 19.
Rule 19 states that senators are not allowed to "directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another senator or to other senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator."
King went on to admit that her late aunt's letter may have referenced some of Sessions' comments, but that she would acknowledge today that Sessions did some great work to fight against discrimination.
"She would agree today that he of course ended some school desegregation. He worked to prosecute members of the KKK. Aunt Coretta was a very reasonable woman and she, with integrity, would have noted that he had done some great work infighting against discrimination," King said.
"It’s almost like a bait and switch. Stir up their emotions, use the name of King — and my name is Alveda King — stir up people’s emotions, play the race card, which she was attempting to do," King added.
Warren's blistering attack on Sessions revolved around his relationship with African Americans.
"He made derogatory and racist comments that should have no place in our justice system," Warren said. "To put Senator Sessions in charge of the Department of Justice is an insult to African Americans."
Warren's appeal to continue speaking on Tuesday night after McConnell cut her off was shut down by a Senate party-line vote 50-43, which means that Warren is barred from speaking on the floor about Sessions' nomination. A vote on Sessions' confirmation is expected Wednesday night.