Ted Cruz Vows to Block Confirmation of AG Nominee Lynch

by Goldie Taylor 

Heralded as “supremely qualified” by some and a “radical” whose “views undermine the rule of law” by others, U.S. District Attorney Loretta Lynch cleared another hurdle on her way to becoming the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

It has been no easy road. The nomination has been pending for 110 days, leaving many Democrats on Capitol Hill frustrated.

It could have been avoided.

Skipping the chance to vet and confirm Lynch after the midterm elections and before the new Republican Senate majority was sworn in proved to be a miscalculation by Sen. Harry Reid (NV-D). The now-Minority Leader delayed hearings as an olive branch to new Senate leaders, in hopes that decorum would return and it would create a more bi-partisan legislative environment. Instead, Republicans took hold of that olive branch and promptly beat Democrats over the head with it.

For their part, GOP senators who take issue with President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigrations, which Republicans say are unconstitutional, found no solace in Lynch.

“Ms. Lynch pledged to support executive amnesty…but it just doesn’t stop at that,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Politico. He ticked off several issues, including drone strikes and the Internal Revenue Service to buffet his point. “She has told us her views. Those views are radical. Those views undermine the rule of law.”

Lynch cleared the Senate Judiciary today, picking up support from three Republicans on the panel–Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Jeff Flake (R-Arizona). The final vote was 12-8.

But, if Cruz has anything to say about it, the fight is not over.

“Personally, I wanted to support Ms. Lynch’s nomination,” Sen. Ted Cruz told Politico. “Six years of Eric Holder has done enormous damage, and Ms. Lynch’s service as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York has earned her a reputation as a relatively no-nonsense prosecutor. However, the answers she gave at her confirmation hearing are, in my view, disqualifying for serving as our nation’s chief law enforcement officer.”

Despite the brewing fight, confirmation is expected.

“Loretta Lynch, a supremely qualified nominee for a vital national security and law enforcement post, should never have been pulled into the fray” over immigration, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said.