REPORT: Obama Picks U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn to Replace Holder.
The White House announced this evening that President Obama will formally announce on Saturday his pick to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
“Tomorrow, the President will announce his intent to nominate U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch to be the Attorney General of the United States,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. “The President will make the announcement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, and will be joined by Attorney General Holder and Ms. Lynch.”
“Ms. Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country,” Earnest continued. “She will succeed Eric Holder, whose tenure has been marked by historic gains in the areas of criminal justice reform and civil rights enforcement.” . . .
“Ms. Lynch has expanded the office’s leading national security practice into the area of cyber security, and has also made community outreach a priority,” says her Justice Department biography, adding that Holder named her chair of his advisory committee in 2013.
She also sits on the DoJ’s Diversity Council.
Of course she does. Related: McConnell says AG nominee Lynch “will receive fair consideration” & should be considered “in the new Congress.” So not endorsing a lame-duck session confirmation, then.
Related: Confirmation Gauntlet Expected For Loretta Lynch.
Lynch, an African-American woman with a Harvard law degree, has served two stints as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and has the strong support of Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.
The move likely will be a disappointment to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which pushed hard for Obama to name Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez, a former head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
But Perez would face a major confirmation battle and might only get through the Senate if Democrats jam a pick through in the coming weeks before Republicans take over.
Lynch, who doesn’t have an extensive political résumé, could have an easier time getting through the Senate, especially with Schumer, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, as her sherpa.
Well, stay tuned.