Even as Alaska’s Attorney General confirmation hearing gets snagged, the appointment of new United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch, likewise, remains held up in nomination purgatory. Instead of just waiting, Al Sharpton started a group to go on a hunger-strike to add daily pressure upon U.S. lawmakers to take “fifteen minutes” to confirm Lynch. Alaska’s Senator Murkowski is undecided on Lynch and remains one of three swing votes for her confirmation in the U.S. Senate.
Loretta Lynch’s allies are launching a hunger strike until she’s confirmed as attorney general, but they could be waiting weeks if Republicans follow through on their threat to delay Lynch even longer.
The advocacy group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, along with female civil-rights leaders, are planning the hunger strike, in which groups of fasters will alternate days abstaining from food until Lynch is confirmed to replace Eric Holder at the Justice Department. Dubbed “Confirm Loretta Lynch Fast,” the new tactic is designed in the mold of actions by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and Cesar Chavez, organizers said.
“As long as the Senate refuses to take fifteen minutes to confirm someone for Attorney General that they have already confirmed twice for U.S. Attorney,” National Action Network and its allies “will do everything in our power to draw attention to this completely unfair and unnecessary delay to vote to confirm Loretta Lynch,” Sharpton, who founded NAN, said in a statement Wednesday.
Still, that gives more time for undecided Republicans to make up their mind. Key swing GOP votes include Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Ayotte stressed again Wednesday that she hadn’t made up her mind.
See Full Story at Politico
