Attorney General nominee picks up GOP support

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch picked up her first Republican endorsement today en route to likely confirmation as the first black woman in the nation's top law enforcement job.

"I believe she's not only qualified but exceptionally well-qualified and a very good person, to boot," Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, declared from the dais on the second day of Lynch's confirmation hearing to replace Eric Holder.

Two other committee Republicans, Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona, also said they were likely to support her.

That would provide Lynch the three Republican votes she needs to win approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee in coming weeks. From there, her nomination would move to the full Senate, where she also is likely to win approval.

Lynch, 55, the top federal prosecutor since 2010 for parts of New York City and Long Island, promised senators a fresh start from Holder, who has clashed repeatedly with congressional Republicans during his six years in the job. Republicans deride him as a liberal firebrand and cheerleader for President Barack Obama, and can barely wait to be rid of him.