Political Wire

Lynch Used an Email Alias as Attorney General

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Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch used an email alias to conduct government business, the Daily Caller reports.

“Several of Lynch’s emails were included in 413 pages of DOJ documents provided to the conservative groups Judicial Watch and the American Center for Law and Justice. Both groups had filed lawsuits for records regarding Lynch’s controversial meeting with President Bill Clinton at the Phoenix airport last June 27.”

“Using the pseudonym ‘Elizabeth Carlisle,’ Lynch corresponded with DOJ press officials to hammer out talking points in response to media requests about the meeting.”

Lynch Denies Offering Assurances to Clinton Campaign

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Politico: “Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch pledged to cooperate with a Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into whether she assured the Hillary Clinton campaign last year that the FBI probe into Clinton’s emails wouldn’t go too far.”

“In a statement from her lawyer, Lynch also denied ever making such an assurance to a former Clinton campaign aide, Amanda Renteria — an allegation fueled by a Russian intelligence memo that’s credibility has been called into question.”

Why Loretta Lynch Didn’t Stop James Comey

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Washington Post: “Justice officials laid out a number of arguments against releasing the letter. It violated two long-standing policies. Never publicly discuss an ongoing investigation. And never take an action affecting a candidate for office close to Election Day. Besides, they said, the FBI did not know yet what was in the emails or if they had anything to do with the Clinton case.”

“Remarkably, the country’s two top law enforcement officials never spoke. As Comey’s boss, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch could have given the FBI director an order to not send the letter. But Lynch and her advisers feared that Comey would not listen. He seemed to feel strongly about updating Congress on his sworn testimony about the Clinton investigation. Instead, they tried to relay their concerns through the Justice official whom the FBI had called.”

Quote of the Day

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“I do regret sitting down and having a conversation with him, because it did give people concern.”

— Attorney General Loretta Lynch, in an interview on CNN, about her airport tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton during the election.

Bill Clinton’s Very Bad Judgment

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Ryan Lizza: “If Bill Clinton was trying even subtly to influence the investigation, his attempt has backfired spectacularly. The disclosure of the meeting has raised questions about the integrity of the investigation. Lynch’s promise to accept without modification the recommendations of the F.B.I. has removed a potentially sympathetic voice from the process. And the enormous publicity over the event will increase the pressure on investigators not to show any leniency in the case. Whatever Bill Clinton thought he was doing, he has cast a pall over what should have been his wife’s most triumphant moment in politics.”

Bill Clinton Met Privately with Attorney General

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“Amid an ongoing investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of email and hours before the public release of the Benghazi report, Attorney General Loretta Lynch met privately with former President Bill Clinton,” ABC 15 in Arizona reports.

“The private meeting took place on the west side of Sky Harbor International Airport on board a parked private plane.”

Cruz Misses Vote on Lynch Nomination

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “went on the Senate floor early Thursday afternoon to voice his strenuous objection to the nomination of Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. attorney general… A few hours later, however, Cruz missed the final vote on Lynch’s confirmation, making him the only senator recorded as not present,” the Huffington Post reports.

“The senator’s office explained that he had to catch a flight to a fundraiser in Texas.”

Los Angeles Times: “Among the unexpected votes of support: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the majority leader, who was blamed for holding up Lynch’s confirmation longer than all but two attorney general nominees in U.S. history.”

GOP In Quandary Over Lynch Nomination

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“Senate Republicans do not want to be held responsible for rejecting the historic nomination of Loretta E. Lynch, the first African-American woman picked to be attorney general. But they also are in no hurry to see her confirmed because of her defense of President Obama’s immigration policies,” the New York Times reports.

“The inert situation shows just how Republican anger and resentment over the president’s immigration actions color issues ranging from Ms. Lynch’s status to trade negotiations to the nuclear talks with Iran. Republicans’ central rationale remains that they cannot trust the president. After months of simmering over the very slow walk of Ms. Lynch’s nomination by the new Republican majority, Democrats unloaded this week.”

Huffington Post: Obama torches Republicans over Lynch delay

McConnell Won’t Budge on Lynch Nomination

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “has dug in on Loretta Lynch’s nomination to be attorney general, highlighting his willingness to play hard ball with the Democratic minority,” The Hill reports.

“His maneuvers on Lynch shed light on how he will lead the upper chamber in this Congress, but the strategy has some risks — especially with a fragile majority. McConnell has for weeks refused to allow senators to leapfrog over a stalled anti-human trafficking bill to move to Lynch’s nomination. In fact, the GOP leader has linked the two issues, telling Democrats they will only get a vote on Lynch if they compromise with Republicans on the trafficking bill, which has been held up by a fight over abortion.”

McConnell Will Hold Up Lynch Nomination

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN said he plans to hold up attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch’s confirmation until the Senate passes a now-controversial human trafficking bill.

Said McConnell: “This will have an impact on the timing of considering a new attorney general. I had hoped to turn to her next week, but if we can’t finish the trafficking bill, she will be put off again.”

“Democrats are now holding up the trafficking bill, which glided through the judiciary committee, after they noticed an abortion provision embedded in the bill that would prevent victims of human trafficking from using restitution funds to pay for an abortion.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“I would think, as we approach the 50th anniversary of Selma, that Republicans should be more sensitive about what they’re doing to this woman.”

— Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), quoted by Bloomberg, on the stalled nomination of Loretta Lynch as Attorney General.

It’s Still Not Clear Lynch Will Be Confirmed

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“President Obama’s pick to serve as the next attorney general is having a hard time finding Republican supporters,” The Hill reports.

“To be confirmed by the Senate, attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch only needs four Republicans to support her nomination. But it is unclear where those votes will come from. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is the only Republican so far who has signaled his intention to vote for Lynch, though several others have spoken favorably about her.”

Lynch Nomination Caught in Partisan Battle

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“The debate about confirming Loretta Lynch is suddenly getting partisan,” Politico reports.

“Democrats are now increasingly slamming Republicans’ handling of President Barack Obama’s nominee for attorney general, accusing them of slow-walking the veteran federal prosecutor’s confirmation. Their newest evidence: the Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision Thursday to postpone voting on Lynch until after next week’s recess — which means she won’t get a final floor vote until March, at least five weeks after her confirmation hearing.”

Cruz Says Lynch Nomination Shouldn’t Get a Vote

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Roll Call that attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch’s immigration views were “dangerous” and questioned whether Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) should even have the chamber consider her nomination.

Said Cruz: “That is the decision the majority leader is going to have to make. I believe we should use every constitutional tool available to stop the president’s unconstitutional executive action. That’s what Republicans, Republican candidates all over the country said over and over again last year.”

New Hurdle in Lynch’s Confirmation

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“The federal civil rights investigation into the chokehold death of Eric Garner could present a new complication for Loretta Lynch’s nomination as attorney general, because she will be heading the inquiry as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York even as she undergoes scrutiny in the new Republican-controlled Senate,” the New York Times reports.

“Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday that the Garner case would no doubt be raised, as would questions about Ms. Lynch’s view of the federal government’s asserting itself in recent cases in which white law enforcement officers have not faced state charges after being involved in the deaths of black Americans.”

Will Loretta Lynch Be Confirmed?

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Daily Beast: “The debate really isn’t about her credentials, or whether it’s too big a leap to move from U.S. Attorney to Attorney General. It’s about whether the Democrats want to use their waning power on Obama’s behalf for a single nominee, or whether they will attempt to work out a deal with incoming Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to wave through on voice vote more than a hundred uncontroversial nominees for executive posts, some who’ve been waiting more than a year for confirmations.”

“There are 231 stalled nominations, including unfilled posts at State, Defense, and Homeland Security, and 49 ambassadors waiting to be green-lighted to their new country assignments. Democrat Pat Leahy, chair of Judiciary until Grassley assumes the gavel in January, says 95 percent of the names that are pending are non-controversial, and clearing them in a group is how it was customarily done under both Republican and Democratic presidents.”

Democrats Won’t Ram Through Attorney General Pick

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President Obama “will have to get his nominee for attorney general past a Republican-controlled Senate, Democratic and Republican aides say,” The Hill reports.

“A packed schedule after the election is almost certain to push the vetting process for Loretta Lynch into January, when Republicans are set to take power in the upper chamber.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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