New York lawyer emerges as top candidate for US attorney general

U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch has emerged as the leading choice to be the next attorney general, but people with knowledge of his plans say President Barack Obama is not ready to announce a nomination and is abandoning the option to push for confirmation this year while Democrats still control the Senate.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Friday that Obama has not made a decision. People with knowledge of his thinking say he does not plan to announce a choice before returning from a trip to Asia next week and will leave it up to the Republican-controlled Senate to vote on the choice in 2015.

Lynch, the U.S. attorney for Eastern New York, would be the first black female to lead the Justice Department if she ends up being the choice. The sources who described Obama's plans did so on condition of anonymity without authorization to speak on the record.

Lynch, 55, would be Obama's second trail-blazing pick for the post after Eric Holder served as the nation's first black attorney general. Lynch is the U.S. attorney for Eastern New York, which covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island, a position she also held under President Bill Clinton.

Democrats on Capitol Hill have told the White House it would be difficult to win confirmation before they turn over the gavel at the end of the year, especially considering all the other competing priorities they are trying to complete while they are in power.

The White House considered the option of lame duck confirmation, but it didn't make political sense after Republicans won such a clear majority in this week's midterm. Pushing through a nominee so quickly would have tainted the pick with a process argument. It also could have opened the next attorney general to GOP claims of illegitimacy and a hostile oversight committee for the next two years.

It's unusual for Obama to pick someone he doesn't know well for such a sensitive administration post. But at a time when Obama is under political fire, her distance from the president could be an asset in the confirmation process. Another candidate Obama asked to consider the job, former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, asked not to be nominated out of concern her close relationship with Obama could lead to difficult confirmation amid partisan politics.

Lynch is seen as having little baggage or controversy as Republicans are promising tough scrutiny after years of battles with the long-serving Holder. The current attorney general is close to Lynch and appointed her as chair of the committee that advises him on policy. Since Lynch is unfamiliar to many on Capitol Hill, senators will have to quickly get up to speed on her record.

One lawmaker in particular is familiar with her work. Lynch filed tax evasion charges against Rep. Michael Grimm, a Republican accused of hiding more than $1 million in sales and wages while running a restaurant. Grimm, who won re-election Tuesday, has pleaded not guilty and is set to go to trial in February.

There was no immediate response from Lynch's spokeswoman.

The Associated Press