WASHINGTON -- Georgia Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue speaks highly of Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, but says he has not made up his mind whether to vote for her confirmation.
Perdue got a chance to question Lynch, a U.S. Attorney in New York, on Wednesday when she appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. As he relayed in an interview Friday, Perdue was impressed:
"Notwithstanding that the committee was in and out on votes [this] week, we really tried to be very respectful of the process and of her and her family. This is about her life and about the future of our country. The Attorney General is an important job in our government, a powerful job in our government."
Perdue said he plans to review the hearing transcripts and additional vetting material on Lynch in the next few weeks before she comes to a committee vote. Perdue said this is one instance where he is glad the Senate is moving deliberately, and he's not tipping his hand:
"I didn't hear anything that convinced me one way or the other yet, except that she's an extremely accomplished professional in her field, and I think there are indications that she did a good job."
Politico has reported that Lynch already has enough Republicans on her side to advance out of committee. But Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has indicated he wants to turn Lynch's nomination into an immigration fight, saying that her views are "dangerous" for saying that President Barack Obama's executive actions were lawful.
Here's what Cruz told Roll Call the other day:
"For several months now, I've called for us to use every constitutional check and balance we have to rein in the president's illegal action. That includes using the confirmation power given by the Constitution as a direct check on the executive," Cruz said. "In my view the majority leader should announce the Senate will not confirm any executive or judicial nominees in this Congress, other than vital national security positions, unless and until the president rescinds" the executive actions granting deferred action to almost 5 million of undocumented individuals.
If Lynch's nomination becomes a referendum on the Obama immigration plan, it puts Perdue -- and all Republicans -- in a tough spot. Of course, denying Lynch has the practical short-term effect of prolonging the tenure of Eric Holder, not exactly a GOP favorite.
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