As Politico reports, despite backing Barack Obama’s executive power grab on amnesty — and her belief that illegal immigrants share the same “right and the obligation to work” in America as citizens, including veterans — Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch is poised to be confirmed thanks to the support of some Senate Republicans.
Barring an 11th-hour surprise, Lynch is likely to be confirmed. But with four GOP senators currently backing her along with unanimous support from Senate Democrats, Lynch would secure the bare minimum required to be installed as the nation’s top cop – as long as senators hauled in Vice President Joe Biden to break a tie.
Back on January 28th, Senator Jeff Sessions best summed up the reasons for all Republicans to oppose her nomination. Yet, GOP leadership has consistently failed to step up on the issue. Over the course of the past several weeks, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office has consistently refused to answer whether he will keep his campaign promise — at first citing the fact that she was still in committee, and since then, he has been not answering reporters. That, despite telling Breitbart News in an exclusive interview back in October that any nominee for AG must be publicly opposed to Obama’s executive amnesty.
Still, as Politico reports even today, “Senate Majority Leader McConnell hasn’t indicated how he will vote.”
No wonder other Republicans in the Senate feel free to give Lynch their votes. Per the same report, “Senate Republicans who are backing her are Orrin Hatch of Utah, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine.” Others, including Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) have also refused to come out against her, despite this below as documented by Session’s office.
The legal opinion attempting to justify this circumvention of Congress was issued by the Attorney General’s Office of Legal Counsel. 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.
Unfortunately, when asked today whether she found the President’s actions to be ‘legal and constitutional,’ Ms. Lynch said that she did. I therefore am unable to support her nomination.
My concerns are furthered by Ms. Lynch’s unambiguous declaration that ‘the right and the obligation to work is one that’s shared by everyone in this country regardless of how they came here. And certainly, if someone is here, regardless of status, I would prefer that they would be participating in the workplace than not participating in the workplace.’
Such a notion of civil rights, as Civil Rights Commission Member Peter Kirsanow articulated, is ‘incoherent and ahistorical.’ Essential to civil rights is the equal and uniform application of the laws. When the President capriciously suspends those laws and provides benefits to people here unlawfully, he injures the rights of lawful workers—denying them the protections Congress passed to secure their jobs and wages.
We are at a dangerous moment. Professor Jonathan Turley described it as a ‘constitutional tipping point.’ For the Senate to approve this nomination would bring us another step closer to the point’s edge.”
Breitbart News’ Matt Boyle contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.