McConnell says attorney general nomination could be delayed

FILE - In this March 3, 2015, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speak to the media at the Capitol in Washington. Congress can get so busy that senators and their staffs don’t always have time to scrutinize bills they pass and letters they sign -- or so it seemed this week, anyway. Two episodes left Democrats blushing, some Republicans muttering under their breath, and taxpayers perhaps wondering what those well-educated people do on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE - In this March 3, 2015, file photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speak to the media at the Capitol in Washington. Congress can get so busy that senators and their staffs don’t always have time to scrutinize bills they pass and letters they sign -- or so it seemed this week, anyway. Two episodes left Democrats blushing, some Republicans muttering under their breath, and taxpayers perhaps wondering what those well-educated people do on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

By Associated Press March 15, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is warning that he won’t hold a confirmation vote for Loretta Lynch as attorney general until the Senate completes work on a bill designed to curb human trafficking.

Lynch would be the first black woman to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.

McConnell had said he would be moving to the Lynch nomination this week. But progress on the human trafficking bill is stalled over a dispute about a provision regarding funding for abortions that McConnell says has been federal policy for almost 40 years.

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said Republicans are using any excuse they can to stall the nomination. At a time when terrorist groups are threatening the U.S., the nominee deserves a vote, he said.