GOP Slows Down Attorney General Nominee’s Confirmation

Ramin Talaie/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — A vote on the confirmation of New York prosecutor Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general is on the slow track now that the GOP-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee is putting off a vote on her nomination until later this month.

Lynch, who would replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder if confirmed, has already undergone a round of hearings. However, some lawmakers want to quiz her handling of a money laundering prosecution of British banking giant HSBC in 2012, claiming the punishment of a fine was too lenient.

Democrats, however, contend that it’s a smokescreen and Republicans are dragging their feet about her nomination because of GOP opposition to President Obama’s executive action on immigration reform.

The two parties are fighting over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security with Republicans attempting to hold back money that would implement Obama’s plan to temporarily legalize up to five million undocumented immigrants.

Some Republicans have acknowledged support for Lynch but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has pointed out that the confirmation process has been the longest for any nominee in three decades.

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