WASHINGTON — A member of the House Congressional Black Caucus said the Senate turned Obama’s attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch into “a victim” Wednesday.
Members of the CBC gathered to demand that Loretta Lynch be swiftly confirmed as the next attorney general. Frustrated by the length of time her nomination was held up, members criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not bringing the the confirmation vote to the floor sooner. A vote is expected on Thursday.
McConnell stalled Lynch’s nomination after Democrats switched their support for a human trafficking bill with Hyde Amendment anti-abortion language. The language can be found in other legislation going back decades and bans taxpayer money to fund abortions.
Democrats claim that the language included non-taxpayer money. CBC members were offended that her nomination is somehow attached to this bill.
“I don’t have to repeat the history, because my colleagues have done it so well. They’ve talked about her brilliance. They’ve talked about her leadership. They’ve talked about the number of times she has previously been confirmed,” Ohio Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty told reporters.
“So let us ask the question: Why would we hold hostage victims of child sex trafficking and connect it with language to a black woman? These children are victims, and now I say that the Senate is making Loretta Lynch the person of being a victim when she should not be that. She should be our United States attorney general,” she said.
Democrats and Republicans reached a deal on the abortion amendment, clearing the way for Lynch’s nomination.