WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama plans to nominate veteran New York federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch to succeed Eric Holder as US attorney general, the White House said Friday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Lynch would be the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's top law enforcement officer.
Obama will make the announcement at the White House on Saturday, with Lynch and Holder -- who announced his resignation in late September -- at his side, spokesman Josh Earnest announced.
Lynch's confirmation potentially could be difficult after Republicans seized control of the Senate earlier this week in a midterm election rout of Obama's Democrats.
But she is not seen as a member of Obama's inner circle -- which may help her in the confirmation process.
"Ms Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important US attorney's offices in the country," Earnest said in a statement.
The spokesman praised Holder -- a close friend of Obama -- saying his "tenure has been marked by historic gains in the areas of criminal justice reform and civil rights enforcement."
Lynch, who is in her mid-50s, will be the second African-American attorney general, after Holder.
She is in her second stint as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York. She earned Senate confirmation under president Bill Clinton and again in 2010 under Obama.
Lynch oversees federal prosecutions in three New York boroughs -- Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island -- as well as two suburban counties on Long Island.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said: "Ms. Lynch will receive fair consideration by the Senate. And her nomination should be considered in the new Congress through regular order."
Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, added: "I'm hopeful that her tenure, if confirmed, will restore confidence in the attorney general as a politically independent voice for the American people."
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