Bill Press: AG delay is purely political

You can’t call him “No drama Obama” anymore. 

Asked at Friday’s news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi about the Senate’s long delay in confirming Loretta Lynch as attorney general, Obama exploded. “There are times when the dysfunction in the Senate just goes too far. This is an example of it. It’s gone too far. Enough! Enough! This is embarrassing.”

{mosads}We White House correspondents were stunned at this unusual display of emotion and anger by Obama. But while it was unusual, it was also well deserved. 

There is absolutely no defense for the cruel and callous treatment Lynch has received from Senate Republicans. As the president concluded, “Nobody can describe a reason for it beyond political gamesmanship in the Senate.”

Even if, by the time this column appears in print, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has scheduled a floor vote on her confirmation, it’s too little, too late to undo the damage already done. Remember, for six years Republicans had begged Obama to fire Attorney General Eric Holder, whom they had even held in contempt of Congress, and name someone they consider a more acceptable successor. 

In November, when Obama nominated Lynch for the position, nobody questioned her qualifications for the job. The attorney for the Eastern District of New York was endorsed by several top Republicans, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

That was 164 days ago today, but she’s still not confirmed — and Holder’s still on the job. 

At first, Obama and Senate Democrats agreed with Republican demands that they not push confirmation hearings on Lynch until Republicans took control of the Senate in January — at which time, McConnell promised, she would be treated fairly. He has broken his promise, over and over. 

It wasn’t until Feb. 26 that the Senate Judiciary Committee voted, 12-8, to approve Lynch’s nomination, with the support of three Republicans. And that was 54 days ago today — which means Lynch has waited more than twice as long for a Senate vote as the last seven nominees for attorney general combined.

Excuses offered by Republican senators for not giving Lynch fair treatment are embarrassingly lame. Several say they won’t vote for her because she’s said she believes the president acted within his legal powers in signing executive orders on immigration. Really? Are they surprised that a presidential nominee says she agrees with the president who appoints her? Even former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), a potential presidential contender in the 2016 cycle, said this week, “Presidents have the right to pick their team.” 

Most cynical of all is McConnell’s decision to delay a vote on Lynch until after the Senate acts on pending human-trafficking legislation, which is repugnant for two reasons. First, his attempt to force a poison pill on abortion rights into what would otherwise be a noncontroversial bill is the very kind of political game McConnell promised to end. Second, the idea that the mighty U.S. Senate can consider only one issue at a time should be too silly for any senator to suggest, let alone a majority leader. 

Loretta Lynch would be America’s first woman of color to serve as attorney general. Only petty Republican partisan politics is standing in the way of history. Shame!

Press is host of “The Bill Press Show” on Free Speech TV and author of The Obama Hate Machine.