President Obama calls Loretta Lynch confirmation delay 'embarrassing'


President Obama is fed up with the congressional stalemate over Loretta Lynch's confirmation vote to be the next attorney general. Despite receiving bipartisan support as the nominee, Lynch has been waiting 160 days to be confirmed — twice as long as the seven previous nominees combined — in a vote delayed by a dispute in the Senate over abortion rights provisions in a bill unrelated to Lynch.
"It's gone too far," Obama said Friday during a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. "Call Loretta Lynch for a vote. Get her confirmed." The president also called the situation "crazy" because Lynch, currently the U.S. attorney for New York, is widely recognized as a qualified nominee. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will force a vote if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) does not do so soon, and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has also urged the upper chamber to confirm Lynch.
"This is embarrassing, a process like this," Obama said. "Nobody can describe a reason for it beyond political gamesmanship in the Senate." If confirmed, Lynch would be the first female African-American attorney general in U.S. history.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?
Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
-
'No one should be surprised by this cynical strategy'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Intellectual property: AI gains at creators' expense
Feature Two federal judges ruled that it is fair use for AI firms to use copyrighted media to train bots
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled