President Obama’s nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch, would not directly answer whether she supports the president’s executive action on immigration in a meeting with Louisiana senator David Vitter today. While the Department of Homeland Security will be implementing the deportation-relief program, the Department of Justice that Lynch has been nominated to run is closely tied to such law-enforcement issues.
“President Obama’s illegal executive action to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants is still a major concern,” Vitter said in a statement. “I didn’t get any straight answers during our meeting today, and I’m not convinced Ms. Lynch will put any stop to it.”
Vitter, a member of the Judiciary Committee, met with her in anticipation of her confirmation hearing. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the president’s nomination of Lynch, and has said Congress has a responsibility to stop her confirmation in order to prevent the president’s executive action.
Lynch has already met with several Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee and incoming Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), and has received favorable views from some Republicans.
Grassley reportedly plans to conduct Lynch’s confirmation hearing later this month or sometime in early February, according to Politico.