WASHINGTON — Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch won key Republican endorsements Thursday en route to likely confirmation as the first black woman in the nation’s top law enforcement job.
“I believe she’s not only qualified but exceptionally well-qualified and a very good person, to boot,” said Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, from the dais on the second day of Lynch’s confirmation hearing to replace Eric Holder.
Another committee Republican, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, said later that he, too, intended to back Lynch. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he was inclined to do the same.
That seemed to guarantee Lynch’s approval by the Judiciary Committee in coming weeks. She needs only two Republican votes on the panel if all Democrats back her. From there, her nomination would move to the full Senate, where she also is likely to win approval.
