The Senate will vote next week on the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, who is President Obama’s pick to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., made the announcement Tuesday and it followed weeks of complaints from Democrats who said they believed the GOP was stalling Lynch’s confirmation.
“No one, it seems, is more qualified in experience, education, background and character than Loretta Lynch,” Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said. “It’s time that we move forward on this. It’s long overdue.”
Lynch needs only 51 votes to be confirmed and she’ll easily get them. Democrats control 46 votes and there are at least five Republicans who plan to vote for her, including Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
“I’m ready to vote right now,” Graham told the Washington Examiner.
Lynch was nominated on Nov. 8, 2014. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a confirmation hearing at the end of January, at which Lynch angered some Republicans with her view of President Obama’s executive actions allowing millions of illegal immigrants to obtain work permits and some federal benefits.
Lynch said during her confirmation hearing that she preferred all people living here are “part of the workforce,” regardless of whether they are here legally, but added that the Justice Department needs to “look at” whether employers have an obligation to hire those allowed to work here under Obama’s recent executive action, rather than giving preference to a U.S. citizen.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he’ll vote against Lynch.
“For starters, her position on immigration and the president’s executive order,” Hoeven said when asked why he won’t vote for her.
Lynch easily cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee, but not until Feb. 26, nearly a month after the hearing.
Panel Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he was waiting for Lynch to answer additional question from the committee.
But the ranking Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Lynch’s nomination was taking far too long. He pulled out a chart of past attorney general nominees, many of whom were confirmed in less than half the time.
As of Tuesday, the Lynch nomination was 122 days old.
“The delay is ridiculous,” Leahy said. “I know no explanation for it.”
