The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-8 on Thursday to approve Loretta Lynch to be the next U.S. attorney general, sending her to the full Senate for final confirmation.
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch (UT), Jeff Flake (AZ) and Lindsey Graham (SC) voted with Democrats to support President Barack Obama’s nominee.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) spokesman Adam Jentleson called for a swift floor vote on the nomination.
.@sahilkapur When will Sen. McConnell bring her nomination to the floor? Now on the calendar, ready for a vote. No more excuses for delay.
— Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson) February 26, 2015
Though it pains me to say it, Flake doesn’t seem as flaky as he did in the House.
He seems to have some moments of sanity.
Flake’s ‘evolution’ has everything to do with moving to the Senate. Arizona has a relatively liberal (compared to Nebraska, Utah, Oklahoma and Texas; Arizona’s closer in this to New Mexico and Colorado), electorate. And a LOT of ethnic diversity, especially Hispanics.
That said, it seems to me that it very much serves the interests of both Flake and Graham to get their fingerprints off of any foot-dragging the rest of the Senate GOP caucus has in mind. Cruz and Sessions have to find some high profile way of off-setting their support for McConnell’s Champerlain move the the DHS, and this could be the way.
He can always say he voted strictly to get Eric Holder out of the DOJ.