When asked if she was going to be any different from her predecessor, Eric Holder, US Attorney General nominee simply told the Republican questioner that “No, I am not Eric Holder.”
Sen. John Cornyn asked her how so, and Loretta Lynch responded: “I would be myself. I would be Loretta Lynch. I pledge that I want to hear your concerns. I want to discuss those issues with you.”
Eric Holder was instrumental in appointing Lynch to a key Justice Department committee and also supportive in getting her nominated as a replacement for himself over more high-profile rivals – but Lynch, currently the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, made no attempt to defend Holder.
Lynch won a wide acclaim for her opening statement, in which she spoke movingly of her upbringing by her preacher father and librarian mother in North Carolina. And Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said it was the best of six statements she has heard during her tenure from Attorney General nominees.
If confirmed, Lynch will be the nation’s first female African American attorney general, and she spent much of the morning trying to distinguish herself from Holder as the panel pestered her with questions related to the US economy and policies.
“I look forward to fostering a new and improved relationship with this committee, the United States Senate, and the entire United States Congress,” Lynch said as the Senate Judiciary Committee began a two-day hearing on her confirmation.
Considering the fact that many Republicans criticized Holder throughout his six years in office – and he never hid his contempt for lawmakers during congressional hearings – Lynch appeared to be more affable and personable with some desire to forge strong cooperation with Congress.
“I pledge to you and the American people that the Constitution, the bedrock of our system of justice, will be my lodestar as I exercise the power and responsibility of that position,” she said.
Lynch highlighted her position on perhaps the most controversial law enforcement issue of the moment: sour relations between some police departments and local African American communities.
“Throughout my career as a prosecutor, it has been my honor to work hand in hand with dedicated law enforcement officers and agents who risk their lives every day in the protection of the communities we all serve,” Lynch said. “I have served with them. I have learned from them. I am a better prosecutor because of them.
“Few things have pained me more than the recent reports of tension and division between law enforcement and the communities we serve. If confirmed as attorney general, one of my key priorities would be to work to strengthen the vital relationships between our courageous law enforcement personnel and all the communities we serve.”
In the hearing room with Lynch were her father, Lorenzo, from North Carolina; her husband, Stephen Hargrove, and a brother. Another brother, a former Navy Seal, died in 2009. Lynch had his Navy Seal trident on the witness table in front of her as she testified.