The president called the situation "crazy" and "embarrassing" as GOP lawmakers protest Loretta Lynch's support for Obama's immigration policies.
President Obama ripped the GOP-controlled Senate for holding up the confirmation of attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch, calling their methods “crazy” and “embarrassing.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said an obstacle to her confirmation could be resolved next week, but Minority Leader Harry Reid’s aide said that there was no deal yet that would lead to a confirmation vote, according to an Associated Press report.
Obama was incensed at the hold-up, saying that “there are times when the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far — this is an example of it,” adding: “Enough.”
Lynch, who is the U.S. attorney for New York’s Eastern District, would take over for Attorney General Eric Holder, who is stepping down.
Republicans in the Senate have fought her nomination for a variety of reasons, but mostly for supporting Obama’s immigration policies. McConnell has delayed her vote in order to push through a Senate vote on a bipartisan sex-trafficking bill that has been delayed by arguments over abortion.
In a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Obama praised recent acts of bipartisanship in Congress, but “what we still have is this crazy situation where a woman everybody agrees is qualified … has been now sitting there longer than the previous seven attorney general nominees combined,” adding that the situation is “embarrassing.”
It has been nearly 23 weeks since Lynch was nominated to replace Holder, despite the fact that everyone agrees she has the votes to win the nomination if the GOP would allow it to actually go to a vote.
The GOP argues that Lynch will not get a vote until the Democrats cave to their demands, which includes helping pass a bill that has anti-abortion language in it, according to an MSNBC report.