Loretta Lynch Expected To Be Obama’s Next Attorney General
Loretta Lynch, who served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, is emerging as the leading candidate to replace Attorney General Eric Holder if President Barack Obama nominates her for the job.
“She has everything that we would want in an attorney general,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson. “She has intelligence, dignity and the ability to be fair, but also tough. I have the utmost respect for her.”
If chosen, Lynch will be the first African-American woman to lead the Justice Department. Eric Holder served as the nation’s first black attorney general, and one of the longest-serving attorney generals in American history. He announced his intention to resign in September, pending the confirmation of his successor.
Lynch is known to have a good relationship with Holder seeing as she is one of several candidates he recommended to succeed him. However, she was not well-known by the president until recently. Lynch became the leading contender for the position after previous top choice, former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, pulled out of consideration amid concerns her involvement in controversial Obama administration decisions could complicate her confirmation.
