A growing number of key Democrats raising questions about Attorney General-nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions have spent 20 years praising his character and bipartisanship, leading to a potentially awkward and hypocritical challenge at his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.

A review of past public statements that show support and admiration for the Alabama senator includes words from Labor Secretary Thomas Perez who plans a spirited bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.

Consider: During his 2009 confirmation hearing as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Perez called Sessions a “wonderfully welcoming person.”

At his hearing Perez said: “I had the privilege of serving as a first-line supervisor in the criminal section. I traveled the country. My first travel was to Mobile, Ala., where we were treated with great dignity by then-U.S. Attorney and now Sen. Jeff Sessions, the first trial that I participated in, and he was a wonderfully welcoming person, a wonderfully welcoming U.S. attorney, and I am very grateful for that work.”

Now that he has been chosen as President-elect Trump’s attorney general, however, top Democrats are challenging Sessions on gay, racial and other issues and the attack would be led by potential leaders like Perez.