Arkansas's U.S. Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, both Republicans, voted against the confirmation of Loretta Lynch to serve as U.S. attorney.
"I believe it would be irresponsible to confirm a successor whose approach is virtually indistinguishable from her predecessor,” said Boozman.
NPR's Carrie Johnson reports:
The Senate voted Thursday, 56-43, to approve the nomination of Loretta Lynch to serve as U.S. attorney general, ending a more than five month-long political impasse that had stalled her bid to become the first black woman to lead the Justice Department.
Lynch, 55, grew up in the shadow of the civil rights movement in North Carolina, where her family had preached for generations. Most recently, she prosecuted terrorists, mobsters and white collar criminals as the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, a district that covers 8 million people.
Republicans had postponed Lynch's confirmation vote in a dispute over abortion language in an anti-human trafficking bill. The Senate reached a compromise on that bill earlier this week, clearing the way for Lynch's vote.
The confirmation had also been delayed over her support for President Obama's executive action on immigration last year — and amid questions about whether she could operate with sufficient independence from the White House.
Read more about Lynch's confirmation at NPR.org
Here is the full statement from U.S. Senator John Boozman of Arkansas after his vote against confirmation:
“I voted against the confirmation of Loretta Lynch because she has offered her unequivocal support for the President’s unconstitutional actions, including his attempt to offer amnesty to illegal immigrants and his efforts to erode the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. While many believe her to be well qualified for the position, given the controversial actions and policies that have defined the tenure of Attorney General Eric Holder, I believe it would be irresponsible to confirm a successor whose approach is virtually indistinguishable from her predecessor.”
