WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - More than five months after her nomination was announced, the Senate voted Thursday to confirm Loretta Lynch as Attorney General.
The Senate voted 56 to 43 in favor of Lynch's nomination, with just ten Republicans joining with Democrats to confirm her as the nation's top law enforcement official.
Lynch, who currently serves as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, will succeed current Attorney General Eric Holder, who has had a very contentious relationship with Republicans.
GOP opposition to Lynch's nomination largely stemmed from her opinion that President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration are legal.
Republicans are staunchly opposed to Obama's immigration actions and raised concerns about Lynch's level of independence from the president.
Speaking out against Lynch's nomination, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he wasn't convince she will lead the Justice Department in a different direction.
'The bottom line is that Ms. Lynch doesn't seem willing to commit to a new, independent way of running the department,' Grassley said in remarks on the Senate floor.
'I sincerely hope Ms. Lynch proves me wrong and is willing to stand up to the President and say 'No' when the duty of the office demands it,' he added. 'But based on my review of her record, I cannot support the nomination.'
Meanwhile, Democrats took the Republican leadership to task over the long delay in bringing Lynch's nomination up for a vote, accusing the GOP of playing politics.
In remarks before the vote, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., noted Lynch waited longer to be confirmed than the first 54 Attorneys General combined.
'Perhaps I was naive in thinking my Republican colleagues would treat Loretta Lynch with the dignity that she and her office deserved,' Reid said.
He added, 'Perhaps my mistake was forgetting that for Republicans, this isn't about Loretta Lynch. This is about the President. Because Republicans will do everything they can to make President Obama's life more difficult.'
Lynch will become the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's Attorney General, leading some critics to claim that the issue of race played a role in the delay of the vote on her nomination.
In remarks last Friday, Obama called the delay 'crazy,' 'embarrassing' and an example of Senate dysfunction gone too far.
However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., claimed the delay was linked to a Democratic filibuster of an anti-human trafficking bill.
McConnell repeatedly stated he would not bring Lynch's nomination up for a vote until the trafficking bill was approved.
The Senate unanimously approved the trafficking bill on Wednesday after lawmakers settled a dispute over an anti-abortion provision added to the legislation.
When announcing the nomination last November, Obama argued it is hard to be more qualified than Lynch, noting that she spent years as a prosecutor, aggressively fighting terrorism, financial fraud, and cybercrime, all while vigorously defending civil rights.
'Loretta might be the only lawyer in America who battles mobsters and drug lords and terrorists, and still has the reputation for being a charming 'people person,' Obama said. 'That's probably because Loretta doesn't look to make headlines, she looks to make a difference.'
He added, 'I could not be more confident that Loretta will bring her signature intelligence and passion and commitment to our key priorities, including important reforms in our criminal justice system.'
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