In February United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta Lynch was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, placing her attorney general nomination on the Senate floor for a vote. Now, she's having a difficult time getting confirmed. Republicans don't like her approval of President Obama's executive amnesty and some Democrats don't believe she's been tough enough on Wall Street over the years.
Despite opposition to Lynch from both sides of the political aisle, the White House is pointing the blame for the stonewalling of her nomination at Senate Republicans.
"Let me just say that if Ms. Lynch were not confirmed by the United States Senate, it would be an astonishing display of partisanship, particularly given the fact that not a single member of the United States Senate has raised a legitimate concern about her aptitude for that office," White House Press Secretary said during the daily briefing Monday. "It is the responsibility of each one of these Senators to make their own decisions but if the outcome were to be that she were denied confirmation for this seat it would be astonishing."
During her confirmation hearing earlier this year, Lynch 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.
“This is an opportunity, within the Senate rules, to express my disapproval of the president’s abuse of executive authority, and it’s an opportunity I intend to take," Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said in a statement yesterday about his opposition to Lynch. "I will vote against President Obama’s nomination of Loretta Lynch for attorney general of the United States."
