Senate Committee backs Loretta Lynch for attorney general

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to eight Thursday to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next attorney general, sending her nomination before the full Senate for debate and a vote that is expected in the coming weeks.

President Obama nominated Lynch, a U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to succeed Eric Holder as the head of the Justice Department (DOJ) after Holder announced his resignation in September.

Though Lynch's opponents didn't raise questions about her background, several Republicans on the committee objected to her support for Mr. Obama's recent move to defer deportation for up to five million illegal immigrants. The issue came up several times during her confirmation hearings in January, which also served as a forum for Republicans to air their grievances with Holder.

Obama nominates Loretta Lynch to be next attorney general

Ultimately, Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, joined the nine Democrats on the Judiciary Committee in supporting Lynch's nomination. Six Republicans had announced their opposition before the vote, with many citing immigration as a primary concern.

"At the outset of this nomination process, I said that no Senator should vote to confirm anyone for this position--the top law enforcement job in America--who supported the president's unlawful actions. Congress must defend its constitutional role, which is clearly threatened," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, said in a statement immediately after Lynch's hearing.

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In addition to Sessions, the senators voting no include Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, David Vitter of Louisiana, David Perdue of Georgia and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is expected to schedule a debate and vote on Lynch's nomination before the full Senate in the coming weeks.

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