AG nominee Lynch dodges Hillary email scandal

Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch is declining to weigh in on Hillary Clinton’s email scandal ahead of a Senate vote on her confirmation.

Lynch said she does “not have enough information” to investigate the Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of State, in a letter to Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

{mosads}”In my current role as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, my awareness of this issue has been limited to media reports and therefore, I do not have enough information at this time to determine whether action by the Department of Justice is warranted,” Lynch wrote in response to a question from Vitter.

Vitter, who opposes Lynch’s nomination, wrote to her earlier this month asking whether she would investigate Clinton’s use of a personal email account to “shield and destroy official records.”

Vitter released her response Thursday.

“Hillary Clinton’s decision to destroy public records is a huge problem, and failure to investigate these practices sets a dangerous precedent for the administration moving forward,” Vitter said Thursday. “Loretta Lynch’s response gives me no confidence that she will hold the administration accountable for these sort of cover-ups.”

Republicans have expressed concerns that Lynch would not stand up to the White House when they believe it crosses the line. This has led to disagreements about the president’s immigration policy, among other things.

Lynch is still awaiting confirmation. Her nomination was approved by the Judiciary Committee in late February, but is still pending before the full Senate.

Lynch enjoys universal support from Democrats. While most Republicans oppose Lynch, five GOP senators have committed to voting for her. That should be enough to assure her confirmation.