The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said his colleagues can honor the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma by voting to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next Attorney General.
“In the wake of the bipartisan and inspirational celebration in Selma, we should come together to honor the difficult work of the Justice Department by scheduling a vote to confirm the first African American woman to serve as Attorney General of the United States,” Mr. Leahy said, in a post to his congressional website. “Let us show the American people what we can do when we come together. Let us finally vote to confirm Loretta Lynch.”
Nominated by the president to replace outgoing AG Eric Holder, Ms. Lynch was approved by the Judiciary Committee in February by a 12-8 vote that split largely down party lines. The next step is a floor vote for final confirmation by the entire Senate.
Democrats are accusing Republicans of stalling the nomination process. Mr. Leahy said Ms. Lynch was nominated 121 days ago, the longest an Attorney General nominee has had to wait for confirmation in the last 30 years.
Republicans, however, are uneasy about Ms. Lynch’s support for President Barack Obama’s controversial executive amnesty for illegal immigrants. GOP leaders have said they either want more answers from Ms. Lynch before they make up their mind, or have already said her support for the executive actions are a dealbreaker.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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