Government

Loretta Lynch confirmed as AG

April 23, 2015 Meaghan McGoldrick
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo
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Two-time Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, 55, has been confirmed as attorney general of the United States on Thursday, April 23 by the United States Senate.

Lynch was nominated by President Barack Obama as the successor to Eric Holder in November of last year.

The vote was taken 158 days after her nomination was originally submitted to the lame duck Democratic-controlled Senate, and 103 days after it was resubmitted to the Republican-controlled Senate in January of this year. Collectively, according to an article at polifact.com, the prior seven AGs waited a total of 119 days for their nominations to be confirmed.

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A number of New York politicians were quick to congratulate their colleague.

BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo

“As the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, Ms. Lynch certainly proved herself as someone with a deep commitment to defending one set of rules for all and equal justice under law,” said Councilmember Vincent Gentile, calling her appointment an extremely historic moment for the country. “And in the true spirit of the American dream, as a little girl, Ms. Lynch attended civil rights rallies atop her father’s shoulders. Indeed, Ms. Lynch is supremely qualified in myriad ways for this incredibly important national security and law enforcement post as the first African-American woman Attorney General in the history of the United States of America.”

United States Senator Chuck Schumer agreed.

“Today is an historic day as Loretta Lynch will take her rightful place at the helm of the Department of Justice,” the New York rep said. “I am confident she will be an exemplary attorney general, and will bring disparate parts of communities across the country together, just as she did in Brooklyn. She will pour every ounce of her energy into keeping America safe, upholding the rule of law, and protecting and restoring voting rights that have been under assault for far too long.”

Congressmember Hakeem Jeffries blasted the partisan bickering that, he said, kept Lynch from her rightful appointment for months.

“After a shameful, partisan delay forced on the American people by Senate Republicans, Loretta Lynch has finally been confirmed as Attorney General,” he said. “She is a consummate law enforcement professional with an unparalleled track record of keeping communities safe and protecting the civil rights of the vulnerable. Ms. Lynch will make a tremendous attorney general. Brooklyn’s loss is America’s gain.”

Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was confirmed 56 to 43, and is the first African-American woman to ever hold the position.


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