An outside group that advocates sweeping changes to U.S. criminal justice is working to win Senate approval for Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s nominee for attorney general.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is circulating talking points among its members touting Lynch’s record of prosecuting terrorism-related cases as a U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
The Leadership Conference is highlighting Lynch’s record prosecuting national security and cybercrime cases, as well as her support among a bipartisan group of officials and former officials.
Lynch appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings Wednesday and Thursday. The Leadership Council, which advocates for reforms to what it calls the “racially and ethnically discriminatory” criminal justice system, urged other organizations to submit their own letters of support to the Senate Judiciary Committee by Tuesday evening.
Titled “Loretta Lynch: Fighting for our Nation’s Security,” the memo argues that under Lynch’s leadership, the National Security and Cybercrime Section in the Eastern District of New York maintains one of the “preeminent” national security practices in the Justice Department and prosecutes “a broad array of counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, weapons proliferation and cybercrime cases.”
In the memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, the group highlights several of Lynch’s counterterrorism prosecutions, including:
• The convictions of terrorists responsible for the 2009 al Qaeda plot to attack the New York City subway system with improvised explosive devices.
• The convictions of terrorists who plotted to bombing attacks on the Long Island Railroad, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and JFK International airport.
• The convictions of numerous individuals who traveled or attempted to travel from the U.S. overseas in order to participate in violent acts of terrorism, including against United State troops stationed abroad.
• The ongoing prosecution of several foreign terrorists captured overseas in connection with their material support of al Qaeda and its affiliates, including al-Shabaab and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The group highlighted Lynch’s cybercrime cases dealing with targeting global payment processors, which they said resulted in a $45 million ATM cyber heist, as well as intrusions targeting the Federal Reserve, manufacturers of sophisticated electronics and defense contractors.
In a separate letter addressed to Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking member, the group touts Lynch’s reputation as a “strong, independent prosecutor,” who has twice headed one of the most important U.S. attorney’s Offices in the country and who has decades of experience as lawyer and a leader.
“She knows the [Justice] Department, has a distinguished record of success prosecuting major cases, and is an experienced manager,” the Leadership Council writes.
The group also highlighted Lynch’s role in prosecuting the notorious case of police brutality against Haitian immigrant Abner Louima and her role in negotiating a civil rights settlement against the New York Fire Department for disproportionately screening out African-American and Hispanic applicants.
“While Ms. Lynch has held accountable police who have broken the law and abused their powers, she has made clear that the vast majority of officers are dedicated public servants of the highest integrity who deserve our highest praise, and she is proud of her relationship with law enforcement,” the group writes.
In arguing that support for her nomination is “bipartisan, broad and far-reaching,” the group specifically notes that backers include Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton, Former FBI Director Louis Freeh and “countless others.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Lynch would be the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general, and current Attorney General Eric Holder reportedly encouraged the White House to consider her as his replacement.
It’s rare for a U.S. attorney to be appointed to the top post at the Justice Department, a point Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, made in reacting to her nomination in November.
