WASHINGTON — Loretta Lynch fended off tough questioning Wednesday from Republican senators who used her confirmation hearing for attorney general to rebuke President Obama and outgoing AG Eric Holder.
"You're not Eric Holder, are you?" asked Rep. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
"No, I'm not, sir," replied the Brooklyn US attorney, instantly scoring points among those on the Senate Judiciary Committee who view Holder as a political operative for the White House.
Lynch vowed to "be myself — I will be Loretta Lynch" and said she wouldn't take politically motivated orders from the administration.
"No, Senator, that would be a totally inappropriate view of the position of attorney general," she said.
But Lynch also defended Obama's sweeping immigration executive action as legal and constitutional. The decision to prioritize deportations is a "reasonable way to marshal limited resources to deal with the problem," she said.
"You are here defending this and I believe it's indefensible," responded Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). "That's a big problem with me."
Lynch's appearance marked the first high-profile confirmation hearing before the new GOP-led Senate.
Republicans decried Obama's executive action to defer deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, the "fast and furious" gun-running program, IRS targeting of conservative groups and Holder's cozy "wing man" relationship with Obama.
"I, for one, need to be persuaded she will be an independent attorney general, and I have no reason to believe — at this point — that she won't be," Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said at the start of the all-day hearing.
Democratic senators touted Lynch's independence and sought to refocus attention on her qualifications as a Harvard Law School graduate who overcame humble beginnings as the daughter of a minister and librarian who were products of the Jim Crow South.
She would make history as the first African-American female attorney general.
"I believe in the promise of America because I have lived the promise of America," Lynch said in her opening statement.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said he intends to send copies of her "moving" statement to family and friends.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said of all the attorney general statements she's witnessed, "yours was the best. I see the combination of steel and velvet."
Throughout hours of questioning, Lynch remained poised. She insisted she can say "no" to Obama if the law requires it because the Constitution would be her "lodestar."
"I'm impressed with your qualifications and I hope I can support your nomination," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
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