Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) slammed Republicans on Monday for delaying a confirmation vote on Loretta Lynch’s nomination as attorney general, even as lawmakers suggested a deal could be imminent.
In a floor speech, Reid said Republicans were holding up Lynch for “political purposes.”
{mosads}“Is there a single Republican senator who can come here on the floor of the Senate and give an explanation that does not smack of political foolishness?” he asked. “Republicans [have] held Ms. Lynch’s nomination for nothing more than political purposes.”
Reid said that Lynch’s nomination has been pending for 164 days. She was nominated in November to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
The Lynch nomination has been linked to a separate fight over an anti-human-trafficking bill, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested late last week that senators could vote on that legislation this week and then move to Lynch.
Reid, however, warned in Monday’s floor speech that a deal on the trafficking legislation had yet to be reached.
“There seems to be a path forward, but there is no guarantee that we can do it,” he said. “As of right now we don’t have an agreement.”
He added that senators are “working on that goal.”
If Lynch’s nomination is brought up for a vote, she likely has enough votes to squeak through. So far, she has public support from five Republican senators, giving her the 51 votes needed to be confirmed.