Lynch has earned AG’s post

By Brian Gilmore

Tribune News Service

Loretta Lynch deserves to be confirmed as the nation’s attorney general.

Yet, nearly five months after President Barack Obama nominated her for the position, there hasn’t even been a Senate vote. The craziness of Washington continues to be on display.

Her nomination remains stalled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the GOP-controlled Senate. While the Republicans contend that the delay is because of a need to complete a human trafficking bill first, this has no basis in reality. The nomination and the human trafficking bill are unrelated.

GOP assertions that the holdup is also due to her positions on Obama’s immigration policy are likewise weak. Lynch had no role in setting the policy.

As Obama has noted, a vote on her nomination has been delayed longer than those for the previous seven attorneys general combined. For instance, President George W. Bush nominated Alberto Gonzales on Nov. 10, 2004, and he was approved on Feb. 3, 2005, less than a month into Bush’s second term. Bush’s first attorney general, John Ashcroft, was approved even quicker than Gonzales.

The Republican stalling might appease those who dislike Obama but it is harming the country. The Department of Justice enforces laws not only in the criminal justice area but also on civil rights, tax, antitrust, environmental and natural resources, and war. There is simply no good reason for a delay of such length for a position of paramount importance to a functioning society.

And there are more than enough reasons to confirm Lynch as the country’s attorney general.

Lynch is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She worked in the Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney under President Bill Clinton. She currently serves as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Highest rating

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican with deep antipathy toward Obama, describes Lynch as “an extraordinary appointment.” According to the Alliance for Justice, not a single witness during her hearings opposed her confirmation, even those invited by Republicans. The American Bar Association gave Lynch its highest rating.

Lynch’s confirmation would also make history. She would become the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general.

The job of the nation’s top law enforcement official should not get caught up in the absurd politics of Washington. The Senate should stop the madness and proceed with confirming Lynch.

Brian Gilmore is a poet and public interest attorney. He wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.