Black lawmaker cites race in delayed vote for AG nominee

The chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus suggested Tuesday that the Senate may be delaying the confirmation of Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch because of her race.

“I think race certainly can be considered a major factor in the delay,” Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), the chairman, told reporters on a press call.

Lynch would become the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general, but her nomination has been awaiting Senate confirmation for 130 days.

Current Attorney General Eric Holder is also black.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said over the weekend that he would hold up Lynch’s nomination until lawmakers come to an agreement on a human trafficking bill now pending before Congress.

But Democrats and civil rights leaders say it is unfair for McConnell to hold Lynch’s nomination “hostage.”

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) called McConnell’s move “petty and mean-spirited,” during the press call organized by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights President Wade Henderson called McConnell’s reasoning “flimsy at best.”

“We all know that senators can walk and chew gum at the same time,” Henderson said.

“The Senate Republican majority is using every excuse it can find to delay or obstruct Lynch’s confirmation,” he added.