Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Barack Obama on Friday said it was "crazy" and "embarrassing" the way the Republican-led Senate has held up confirmation of his attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch. "What are we doing here?" Obama said. "I have to say there are times when the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. It's gone too far. Enough. Enough. "Call Loretta Lynch for a vote," he said emphatically. "Get her confirmed." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Associated Press
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2015, 1:08 AM
WASHINGTON - President Obama on Friday said it was "crazy" and "embarrassing" the way the GOP-led Senate has held up confirmation of his attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was "hopeful" that the obstacle would be addressed next week, clearing the way for her confirmation vote. But an aide to Minority Leader Harry Reid said no deal was in hand.
"What are we doing here?" Obama said. "There are times when the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. It's gone too far. Enough. Enough. Call Loretta Lynch for a vote. Get her confirmed.
Lynch, U.S. attorney for New York's Eastern District, would succeed Attorney General Eric H. Holder if confirmed.
Dozens of Senate Republicans have opposed her for various reasons, chiefly her support of Obama's immigration policies. But her vote has been put off because McConnell has first wanted a Senate vote on a bipartisan sex-trafficking bill that has been held up over a dispute about abortion.
Obama spoke at a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Asked about Lynch's nomination, he praised "outbreaks of bipartisanship and common sense" in Congress recently. "Yet what we still have is this crazy situation where a woman everybody agrees is qualified . . . has been now sitting there longer than the previous seven attorney general nominees combined," Obama said. "This is embarrassing, a process like this."
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