The U.S Senate voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as attorney general on Thursday on a 56-43 vote. Ten Republicans, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joined with Democrats and two independents in voting to support Lynch to replace Eric Holder at the Justice Department.
Republicans had held up Lynchs confirmation over concerns about her support for President Barack Obamas executive actions allowing around 5 million illegals to stay in the nation without facing being deported.
Floridas two U.S. senators -- Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Bill Nelson -- divided on party lines on the vote.
Rubio, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, said Lynch would not stop Obama from violating the Constitution.
I opposed Loretta Lynchs nomination because of her failure to identify any limit on the presidents ability to ignore the laws passed by Congress as well as her obvious enthusiasm for civil asset forfeiture, which can deprive innocent people of their property rights without due process," Rubio said on Thursday. The president has every right to appoint nominees who support his policies, but I could not support Ms. Lynch because of every indication she has given that she will put her support of the presidents policies ahead of her support of the Constitution of the United States.
Many hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee offered countless opportunities for her to show independence from the president, yet she declined to do so time and again, Rubio added. Pushed on the presidents unprecedented claim that through prosecutorial discretion he can unilaterally change substantive immigration law, she declared this position reasonable. Asked whether a conservative president could unilaterally lower taxes by simply not collecting them above a certain rate, she demurred. In fact, she seemed to indicate that she couldnt imagine a limit to such claims to power.
I regret that Ms. Lynch failed to demonstrate that, if confirmed, she would be willing to tell the president that there are some things that he simply does not have the constitutional power to do," Rubio said in closing. Because she failed to demonstrate that she would be willing to draw a line where appropriate, I voted against her confirmation.
While Nelson did not offer much besides saying Lynch will make an outstanding attorney general, other congressional Democrats from the Sunshine State cheered her confirmation, including U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla.
I am just thrilled that this historic day has finally come, and that the Senate put its stamp of approval on a woman with indisputably stellar credentials to become the next United States attorney general, Brown said on Thursday afternoon. I think everyone, irrespective of political party affiliation, agrees that her resume more than demonstrates she will be an outstanding U.S. attorney general and strong agency manager.
Ms. Lynchs long and very accomplished career as a prosecutor more than illustrates her commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, as well as her passion for securing justice for all, Brown continued. Truly, the nomination of Ms. Lynch, the nation's first African-American female attorney general, is not only historic, but demonstrative of President Obamas vision to ensure that our country's top attorney will lead our nations justice system in the right direction.
I salute Florida Senator Bill Nelson for his support of confirmation, yet am extremely disappointed with Floridas Republican senator, Marco Rubio, who voted against Ms. Lynch, Brown said in conclusion.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
