After the overwhelming midterm victories by the Republican Party, the first major decision by Congress will be the appointment of Loretta Lynch as the new United States Attorney General. Several prominent Republicans, such as Marco Rubio from Texas, feel as though the vetting process should be postponed until the beginning of the new session of Congress, which is in January. Like many, Rubio feels as though a lame duck session of Congress, in which many senators will be no longer answerable to their constituents, is not a good idea. On the contrary, many Democrats are in a hurry to begin the process because as of right now, they still control the senate. Either way, the confirmation process seems to like its going to be a battle with neither side willing to give an inch.
For further information about Lynch's appointment I decided to examine two different news stories, with one leaning right (Fox News) and the other leaning left (CNN). While there were some similarities, as I have come to expect, there were also sharp differences in the reporting. The Fox News article portrayed Lynch as someone who seems qualified, but was quick to quote Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who said that "U.S. Attorney's are rarely elevated directly to this position". They also mentioned her recent filing of tax evasion charges against Republican Michael Grimm. They made it a point to throw in the fact that he recently won re-election despite this. In my view this was a way of discrediting Lynch's capabilities.
The CNN article was favorable to the president's nomination as they spoke extensively about her qualifications. They use quotes to affirm that she is not a partisan lawyer and that her experience will be paramount in handling the high profile civil rights cases, such as the Michael Brown murder. They also use quotes from other highly prominent lawyers to support the presidents nomination, as well as her non-opposed confirmations by the senate in the past, saying that the "Republicans did not view her as controversial". The article also quotes prominent Republican Senator, Lindsey Graham, who said that "Lynch seems to be a solid choice and is qualified". Graham also expressed no opposition to vetting Lynch during the current session of Congress.
Read the full articles below and tell me what you think.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/08/politics/attorney-general-nominee-loretta-lynch/index.html?iref=allsearch
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/11/09/obama-urging-senate-to-confirm-attorney-general-nominee-loretta-lynch-quickly/
Chris, I heard the same thing on these media outlets. I say go forward with the nomination process. There is no reason to delay this, regardless of what Congress is in power. The sooner she gets confirmed, the sooner Attorney General Eric Holder can train her, and then go on about his business. Holder is tired!! He has shown is loyalty to President Obama throughout the first six years of his presidency and has lost precious time with his family in the process. THIS CONFIRMATION HEARING SHOULD NOT BE DELAYED!!
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