Dozens of House Republicans to the Senate: Block AG Nominee Loretta Lynch

Katie Pavlich | February 24, 2015 8:45 AM

In a letter sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, dozens of House Republicans are urging members to block the confirmation of attorney general nominee and U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch.

"We respectfully ask that you refuse to vote Ms. Lynch out of the committee, and that you return her nomination to the President," the letter, signed by 51 House Republicans, states.

"We appreciate Ms. Lynch for her many years of outstanding service to our nation. Nonetheless, having observed her nomination hearing testimony, we can only conclude that she has no intention of departing in any meaningful way from the policies of Attorney General Eric Holder, who has politicized the Department of Justice and done considerable harm to the administration of justice," the letter continues. "Our larger concern in with Ms. Lynch's apparent unwillingness to stand up to the President and his unconstitutional efforts to circumvent Congress and enlarge the powers of his office."

Earlier this month Lynch testified in front of the Committee as part of her confirmation process. During her testimony, she tried to distance herself from Attorney General Eric Holder but embraced President Obama's recent executive action on illegal immigration. Lynch also argued that anyone who is in the United States, regardless of how they got there, has a right to work.

“The top law enforcement official in the land must be willing to enforce the law, independent of administration politics,” Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine, who spearheaded the letter, said in a statement. “The testimony of Loretta Lynch demonstrated an unwillingness to depart from the politicization of justice we have seen from Eric Holder. The Senate has a constitutional obligation not to confirm her. This starts in the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

A confirmation vote for Lynch has been delayed in the Committee as a result of written questions not being returned to Senators on time.

Editor's note: A previous version of this post stated, "Lynch also argued that anyone who is in the United States, regardless of how they got there, has a right to vote." That is incorrect. Lynch argued that anyone who is in the United States, regardless of how they got there, has a right to work. I apologize for the error.