Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., urged Senate Democrats to hold off on considering Eric Holder’s replacement as attorney general until Republicans take over the Senate in the new year.
Senate Democrats are reportedly leaning toward confirming U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, Obama’s choice to succeed Holder over the next two months during the lame-duck session of Congress.
Thune acknowledged there’s little Republicans can do to block her confirmation by year’s end after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., changed Senate rules to only require a simple majority to approve presidential nominations.
But, he said, it would be in the “best interest of the country and the Congress to wait and do this next year under regular order.”
“Loretta Lynch will get fair consideration,” he said. “But there’s got to be — there’s a process … and Eric Holder has said he’s not going anywhere soon so it’s not like the position isn’t going to be filled.”
