Tillis votes to oppose NC native's nomination for US Attorney General; Burr concurs

Update: The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday morning to advance the nomination of Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General, minus the support of fellow North Carolinians Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Richard Burr.

The 12 to 8 vote sends her confirmation to the full Senate. All of the votes against her came from Republicans.

Thursday morning, Tillis announced he was willing to work with her if she is confirmed, but that he would vote against her Thursday.

In a statement announcing his intentions, Tillis said: “I have immense respect for Loretta Lynch both personally and professionally. However, in light of the testimony at her confirmation hearing and her subsequent refusal to provide straightforward answers to written questions from myself and other Senators, it appears that she would represent little, if any, tangible policy or management difference from Attorney General Eric Holder.”

Tillis added: “By all indications, Ms. Lynch would continue to pursue the costly and frivolous lawsuit against the state of North Carolina to overturn a commonsense and constitutionally sound voter ID law.”

The Associated Press reported late in the day that Burr said he was also unable to support Lynch’s nomination, because of the voter identification lawsuit.

Lynch, who was born in Greensboro and went to high school in Durham, has received backing from other members of the GOP. Most recently, the International Association of Chiefs of Police called for her confirmation, and praised her “unique perspective on criminal justice issues.”

After the meeting Thursday, Tillis said he also disagreed with her on the policy matters but just wasn;t going to repeat what others said.

Three Republicans – Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Orrin Hatch of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona voted for her, saying she was well qualified and that disagreeing with her on some policy issues wasn’t a reason to not to vote for her.

But some conservative Republicans in U.S. Senate have tried to block her confirmation.

Tillis questions Lynch

Tillis had questioned Lynch in a late January hearing, focusing on the Department of Justice’s efforts to halt the voting law changes that Tillis helped lead to passage in North Carolina. The law backed by Tillis and other Republican leaders includes requiring a voter ID. The justice department is suing to stop the law under the Voting Rights Act. Tillis is named as a defendant in that case, and he questioned if it was the best use of 10 federal attorneys.

Lynch sidestepped the North Carolina case in her response.

“It’s not something that I’m intimately familiar with,” she said. “I look forward to learning more about it should I be confirmed, and I believe the matter will proceed to court and we will await the results there.”

Tillis then wondered if “we could look at this objectively” and whether she could use “resources of DOJ in the most effective way,” reminding her of a speech she had given a year earlier.

“I think in Janaury of 2014 you said that, ‘People try and take over the statehouse and reverse the goals that have been made in voting in this country,’” Tillis said. “I presume, since I was the person that took over the statehouse, I would be included by reference. And you go on to say, ‘And in my home state of North Carolina (DOJ) has brought lawsuits against those voting rights changes that seek to limit our ability to stand up and exercise our rights as citizens.”

Tillis said he took “heroic” efforts to preserve citizens’ rights to vote. He then moved on to another topic.

(The exchange on voting matters between Lynch and Tillis takes place between about 02:00 and 08:00 on this video.)

North Carolina’s other Republican Sen. Richard Burr has not said how he will vote.

Congressman G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina, released a statement in response to Tillis’ vote.

“Sen. Tillis had an opportunity today to be on the right side of history in supporting the nomination of Ms. Lynch, who would be the first African-American woman to serve as Attorney General,” Butterfield said. “It is disturbing that Sen. Tillis is beginning his tenure in the Senate by casting such a misguided and politically calculated vote. However, I’m confident that the full Senate will confirm Loretta Lynch, a daughter of North Carolina, as the next Attorney General of the United States.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 9:45 AM.