Loretta Lynch’s View On Big Banks Could Be Key To Nomination
Loretta Lynch might have an uphill battle when it comes to her confirmation hearings in front of a newly Republican-controlled Senate. One way in which the Attorney General nominee could ford those dangerous waters would be to make it clear that she plans to aggressively pursue big banks which have attempted to take advantage of their customers. Washington insiders claim a rather large complaint against Loretta Lynch’s predecessor, Eric Holder, was that he didn’t do enough to prosecute companies which nearly brought the United States’ economy to its knees.
Iowa senator Chuck Grassley will likely be the Senate Judiciary Committee chair, and that means he will be the top dog interrogating Loretta Lynch when the confirmation hearings come up early next year. In 2013, he asked Holder several questions about why the Attorney General wasn’t doing more to go after the banks many had labeled “too big to fail.” Market Watch reports that sources close to Grassley say the senator is still quite bothered by the lack of attention to the big banks, and that Loretta Lynch will have questions come her way about her approach to the issue.
Sources close to Loretta Lynch appear divided on the issue as to whether she will take a different approach than Holder. Some believe she’s a tireless fighter for the side of right who will aggressively go after any corruption she sees. Others believe there won’t be much change when it comes to how Lynch runs the Attorney General’s office compared to the way Holder ran it.
The question superseding Loretta Lynch’s policies is how hard her confirmation fight will be. It’s no secret President Obama and the Republicans have clashed on just about every issue, including nominations of judges and other high level appointees. The difficulty of Loretta Lynch’s nomination fight might have been underlined when her identity was mistaken as a lawyer who helped former President Bill Clinton during the Whitewater affair.
Those who know Loretta Lynch claim she is someone who should have no problem making it through the confirmation process, pointing out she had to be confirmed as a U.S. attorney not long ago. McClatchy talked to one colleague who summed her up as someone “who is well-liked by all,” former federal prosecutor George Stamboulidis said in an interview. “She is very charismatic and she attracts people of all kinds, but she doesn’t play the political game.”
Loretta Lynch might have to play at least some political games in order to become the United States’ next Attorney General.
