Eric Holder Says He’s ’Feeling Love’ From Republicans

Attorney General Eric Holder mocked Republicans today for delaying a confirmation vote for his potential replacement, Loretta Lynch.

During a speech at the Center For American Progress, Holder joked that his speech “should be” one of his final events as attorney general.

“Given the Senate’s scheduling and delays in scheduling Loretta Lynch’s nomination for a vote, it’s almost as if the Republicans in Congress have discovered a new fondness for me,” Holder joked. “I’m feeling love there that I haven’t felt for some time. Where was all this affection over the last six years, you know?”

Holder will remain in office until Lynch — or another nominee — is confirmed by the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Lynch’s confirmation vote won’t happen until after the Senate passes a child sex trafficking bill, which Democrats are filibustering over restrictions on abortion.

The White House has indicated that Holder will stay as long as it takes for Lynch to win confirmation, asserting that there is not a “Plan B” to fill the position.

“Attorney General Holder is a dedicated public servant and he is somebody who has been extraordinarily effective in the office of the Attorney General and using the authority of that office to keep the American people safe and to protect their civil rights,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest explained to reporters yesterday. “And he’s going to keep doing that as long as long as it’s necessary.”