U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch has emerged as the top choice to replace Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder announced in September that he would step down once there was someone there to replace him. Lynch is currently the top prosecutor in Brooklyn, New York and if she gets the position, she will be the first Black woman to serve as the attorney general–which is the nation’s top law enforcement official. Clearly being at the top isn’t new for Lynch.
According to reports, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Friday afternoon at a press briefing that no announcement would come today, and that a final decision has not yet been made. President Obama is not planning on making any official nominations until after his trip to Asia next week, but there’s been a lot of buzz about Lynch. The 55-year-old Harvard Law graduate reportedly sat next to Holder for his appearance at a ceremony close to his heart last week in Brooklyn that highlighted efforts to divert low-level offenders into drug rehab and job diversion programs.
When U.S. District Judge Carol Amon was introducing Holder at the event, she made it clear who she wanted to take Holder’s position, “We all hope that the 83rd attorney general is in this room — someone who may be wearing a little orange thing,” Amon said, referring to a colorful jacket Lynch was wearing. Amon’s bold statement may have made U.S. Attorney Prett Bharara of Manhattan a bit uncomfortable, as he’s also said to be one who’s considered for the job. Bharara is also a top runner with more of a showboat style. His office has prosecuted headline-grabbing cases against terrorists, corrupt politicians and Wall Street embezzlers. But Lynch’s respect in her career comes from dedication without publicity.
Lynch has support coming from everywhere. Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said, “She has everything that we would want in an attorney general. She has intelligence, dignity and the ability to be fair, but also tough. I have the utmost respect for her.”
And why wouldn’t he? Lynch began her career as a federal prosecutor in 1990. She worked as a chief assistant U.S. attorney and was on a trial team in one of the biggest and most sensational police brutality cases in NYC history: the broomstick torture in a precinct bathroom of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. From 1999-2001, she worked as a U.S attorney in Brooklyn before going into private practice. But there was something about being a U.S. attorney in Brooklyn that she loved more than anything, because in 2010, she was back in that position. And shortly after her return, she was appointed to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. This position allowed her to spend more time in Washington and created a closer relationship between her and Holder.
Now let’s talk a little about what Lynch has been able to do: Her office has won convictions in a curbed, al-Qaida sanctioned plot to attack New York City subways, and charged the head of a Mexican drug cartel with 12 murders. More recently, her office brought tax evasion charges against Republican Congressman Michael Grimm that’s scheduled to go to trial next year. Talk about a boss! Lynch is the perfect choice to replace Holder. We’re just going to go ahead and says congrats to Loretta Lynch because she just has to get this position. She’s built for it!
She’s a boss who is serious about her work. It’s the photo of Lynch below that launched the hilarious hashtag #MamaLoretta, reminiscent of the hashtag #MamaSpike that was sparked after this photo of Spike Lee at a basketball game found its way to the internet. And because we love a good laugh, check out some of the funny tweets for #MamaLoretta:
https://twitter.com/LamboTrillisian/status/530779420232269826
https://twitter.com/MyNig/status/530764982653575168
https://twitter.com/MyNig/status/530762705880485888
RELATED STORIES:
Attorney General Eric Holder Fights For Ex-Felons & Their Right To Vote
Michael Eric Dyson Explains Why Poor White Voters Keep Backing Rich Conservatives
Brooklyn Prosecutor Loretta Lynch Eyed For Attorney General Post
Check Out This Gallery Of Black Women Firsts:
