Rand Paul to oppose Loretta Lynch for attorney general
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky announced Wednesday night that he will vote against confirming Loretta Lynch for attorney general because of differences over civil liberties issues, declaring that her views ride âroughshod on our constitutional rights.â Lynch, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, would be the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general. Story Continued Below Paul, a likely 2016 presidential candidate who has made criminal justice reform one of his signature issues, said in a statement: âMrs. Lynch has a track-record of violating the individual freedoms granted to us by our Constitution. She considers civil asset forfeiture to be a âuseful tool,â while I consider it to be an infringement on the Fifth Amendment. She remains non-committal on the legality of drone strikes against American citizens, while I believe such strikes unequivocally violate rights granted to us by the Sixth Amendment. âMrs. Lynch also supports President [Barack] Obamaâs calls for executive amnesty, which I vehemently oppose. The Attorney General must operate independent of politics, independent of the president and under the direction of the Constitution. I cannot support a nominee, like Mrs. Lynch, who rides roughshod on our Constitutional rights.â Paul first announced his opposition on Fox Newsâ âOn the Record with Greta Van Susteren.â The Kentucky senator appears to be the first Senate Republican who does not sit on the powerful Judiciary Committee, which is taking up Lynchâs nomination to be the nationâs most powerful law enforcement official, to oppose her confirmation. Several GOP senators on the committee have indicated they will oppose Lynch based on her support for the presidentâs executive actions on immigration. They include Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, another potential contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas â the majority whip, and a member of the Judiciary Committee â announced his opposition earlier Wednesday. âWhile she has an impressive record as United States attorney, as you know, she will become the chief advocate for the presidentâs policies as attorney general,â the Republican said. âHer testimony expressing support for the presidentâs unconstitutional executive action, and for her support for a number of the presidentâs other policies, make it impossible for me to vote for her nomination.â Despite the mounting Republican opposition, Lynch is still expected to be confirmed to succeed Eric Holder to lead the Justice Department, barring any major last-minute hiccups. All Senate Democrats are expected to support her, and a handful of Republicans â such as Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona â have also said theyâll vote to confirm her. A vote on Lynch in the Judiciary Committee isnât expected until at least the last week of February, which would put her on the Senate floor in early March.