On Saturday, before President Obama heads to Asia he nominated Loretta Lynch as his next U.S. attorney general. Lynch is currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern district of New York.
Lynch will replace outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder pending confirmation by the U.S. Senate, and also will be the first African-American woman to be the top U.S. law enforcement official.
CNN reported Lynch is a popular prosecutor who is in her second stint as U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, appointed by President Obama in 2010 and also serving in the same post from 1999 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.
President Obama commented that Lynch is a “graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Loretta rose from Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York to Chief of the Long Island Office, Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Attorney. She successfully prosecuted the terrorists who plotted the bomb — plotted to bomb the Federal Reserve Bank and the New York City subway. She has boldly gone after public corruption, bringing charges against public officials in both parties. She’s helped secure billions in settlements from some of the world’s biggest banks accused of fraud, and jailed some of New York’s most violent and notorious mobsters and gang members.”
Republicans have had a contentious relationship with outgoing U.S. Attorney Holder over numerous issues and look forward to hearing Lynch’s plan for restoring trust in the attorney general’s office.
“Ms. Lynch will receive fair consideration by the Senate,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who becomes majority leader in Senate in January. “And her nomination should be considered in the new Congress through regular order.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the importance of the confirmation process “has only increased in light of the troubling abuses under the current attorney general. I look forward to hearing Ms. Lynch’s plans for restoring trust in the Department of Justice.”
The question is when her confirmation hearings begin, will it be in the lame duck session or will it be when the new Congress takes over with a Republican dominated Senate.
More than likely questions will be asked of her regarding “Fast and Furious”, the IRS scandals, and her views on the possible executive action by the president on immigration among others which have seen some of the sharpest exchanges between Holder and members of Congress.
In the end Lynch has been through two confirmation hearing and been unanimously approved both times, I see no reason this will not happen here.
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