Police chiefs back Lynch for AG

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is endorsing Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s choice to be the next attorney general, the group confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday.

The association announced its support in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee praising Lynch, who currently serves as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

{mosads}“Throughout her career, Ms. Lynch has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to the rule of law and protection of the public,” IACP President Richard Beary said in a statement.
 
“The IACP believes that Ms. Lynch is an excellent choice and we look forward to working closely with both her and the Department of Justice in the coming years as we continue our common mission to protect the public.”
 
The letter ticks off a number of Lynch’s qualifications and urges the Senate to “confirm Ms. Lynch’s nomination rapidly.”
 
The association is a group of more than 22,000 law enforcement executives from more than 100 countries.
 
Obama nominated Lynch late last year and she had a smooth hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in late January.

But only one Republican Senator, Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), has confirmed he would vote for her, and a number of high profile Republicans have expressed concerns that she’ll fall in line with the president’s policies.

“What we’re trying to do is get an indication from her of the independence that she’s going to have from the White House,” Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told The Hill last week, after the Senate pushed her confirmation vote back.
 
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tied Lynch to the president’s immigration executive actions, which she said she’d support, in an op-ed this week. He argued that a vote for Lynch is a vote supporting those actions, policies that have angered many in his party.
 
But Democrats continue to laud Lynch as qualified and accuse Republicans of stalling.