Feinstein: GOP Using Lynch Hearing Just to Complain About Obama, Holder

Senator Dianne Feinstein today scolded Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee by using the hearing for potential next attorney general Loretta Lynch as another forum to just complain about President Obama and Eric Holder. Witnesses called by the GOP include Sharyl Attkisson, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke (a recurring guest on Fox News who doesn’t care for Holder), and Catherine Engelbrecht, the head of True the Vote, one of the groups targeted by the IRS.

Republicans would argue the idea behind calling these witnesses is to go over what the Department of Justice has done under Holder and see what Lynch would do differently. But to Feinstein, the whole thing is being used as a “partisan” exercise. She lamented how a hearing to determine Lynch’s qualifications is being turned into a “critique” of the administration over things Lynch had nothing to do with.

And in case you’re wondering if any of these nine witnesses currently opposes Lynch, earlier in the hearing, Senator Patrick Leahy asked the witnesses to raise their hands if they oppose her becoming the next attorney general. None of them did.

You can watch Feinstein’s comments, then Leahy’s question, below, via C-SPAN:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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