Loretta Lynch moves closer to confirmation
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Senators weigh Loretta Lynch’s nomination to be America’s top law enforcement official for a second day at a hearing certain to pile criticism on President Barack Obama and Eric Holder, the current occupant of the job.
Thursday’s hearing brings a roster of outside witnesses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, including several invited by Republicans to showcase opposition to Obama’s use of executive powers.
It follows a cordial daylong appearance by Lynch that moved her closer to expected confirmation as she pledged independence from Obama, who nominated her for the post, and promised to work with the Republican-led Congress.
Lynch offered support Wednesday for some controversial Obama administration policies, including the president’s unilateral protections for millions of immigrants in the country illegally.
But she also suggested she would provide a fresh departure from Holder, who is deeply unpopular among some Republicans and was derided by one, Texan John Cornyn, as “openly contemptuous” of congressional oversight.
“If confirmed as attorney general, I would be myself. I would be Loretta Lynch,” she said, when asked how senators could be assured that she would lead differently.
Facing skeptical but largely cordial Republicans, Lynch dispatched questions on topics including terrorism, drugs and surveillance. Even the occasional confrontational exchange over immigration, an issue some Republican lawmakers seized on as a litmus test, appeared unlikely to derail Lynch’s chances of confirmation.
If approved by the committee and confirmed by the full Senate, Lynch — the top federal prosecutor since 2010 for parts of New York City and Long Island — would become the nation’s first black female attorney general.
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