Fight Over Attorney General Vote Heats Up
BERMAN: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is threatening to force a vote on President Obama's nominee for attorney general, Loretta Lynch. She's been waiting 160 days for this Senate vote, but we should tell you there are signs that the block could be resolved soon. And perhaps as soon as next week, there could be a vote. But, man, it's taken a long, long time. Joining us now, Richard Socarides, former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and A Democratic strategist. Also here, Cheri Jacobus, a Republican strategist and the president of the political consulting firm Capital Strategies PR. Richard, I just said there are indications from our Senate folks from CNN that may be there could be a deal that would put a vote some time next week. Barring that, because these thing haves a tendency to fall through, you think this has gone on an inexcusably long time.</s>RICHARD SOCARIDES, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Way too long. And you know, you said that she's been waiting for a vote. The unfortunate part about it is that the American people have been waiting to have this woman confirmed, a career prosecutor, an African-American woman who has been waiting for the longest time since seven attorney generals combined, and for absolutely no good reason. I mean, the Republicans are blocking her without any reason whatsoever.</s>BERMAN: Technically speaking, the Democrats are blocking a vote on a human trafficking bill because there is abortion language in that bill. Democrats aren't allowing that vote, the Loretta Lynch vote would have to come after the human trafficking. Cheri Jacobus, is this a fight worth having for the Republicans? Rudy Giuliani who thinks President Obama doesn't love America, Giuliani loves Loretta Lynch. He calls her an extraordinary pick to be attorney general. So, why not have the vote?</s>CHERI JACOBUS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Look, Mitch McConnell is well within his rights and job description to do this. This is the type of thing that happens all the time. The Democrats and Harry Reid did this sort of thing all the time to Republicans. In fact when he was majority leader, they actually instituted rules that made it harder for the minority to block and filibuster some lower level nominees. So this is him, you know, yelling and screaming.</s>BERMAN: But, Cheri, does can mean should? He can do it, should he?</s>JACOBUS: I think it's fine. I think it's going to have to be resolved at some point. But they're making the point. And the Democrats screaming about the abortion language in this bill is basically the Hyde Amendment, no federal funding for abortion, and it's been public since January. And they're acting like this was snuck in and we just found it. So, there's some politics on both sides. There's much ado about nothing. In terms of this nominee, yes, she's a strong nominee. When she reached the threshold of 51, it looked like this could be a done deal. However, very important position, it's now come out just as of yesterday, Senator Vitter sent her a letter asking her what would you be willing to or would you commit to an investigation of Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal? Which is very serious. That's not just partisan Republicans saying it, that's voters and the public when you look at the polls. And she wrote back yesterday and said, you know, I just don't have enough information so I can't commit to that. That might change a few votes. This is a very important issue.</s>BERMAN: If there's a vote, which there isn't one yet because the whole thing is being held up.</s>JACOBUS: Right. They want that 51 percent. Senators need to be comfortable that to the degree possible this nominee would not be partisan would do her job.</s>BERMAN: Richard, on the subject of politics you think it's very important, crucial, inexcusable that there's not an up or down vote on Loretta Lynch because you think they're playing politics. How come there isn't an up or down vote on the human trafficking bill? How come that's not just as much politics?</s>SOCARIDES: I'm glad that Cheri --</s>BERMAN: You don't have an answer for that.</s>SOCARIDES: No, I do have an answer.</s>BERMAN: OK.</s>SOCARIDES: I'm glad that Cheri raises the issue of woman's right to choose and Hillary Clinton e-mails in this context, because this is exactly what's happening. The Republicans are playing politics with a career prosecutor who's been nominated for the most important law enforcement job in the world. And all of a sudden, they've interconnected issues of a woman's right to choose and if Hillary Clinton's e-mails just as Cheri said with this issue. The point is this is a very important job. This is a job that American security and freedom depends upon this job. Now, the ironic thing here, of course, is that Republicans have complained for six years how horrible Eric Holder is and he's a partisan attorney general and now they're fighting to keep him.</s>JACOBUS: They're not fighting to keep him. That's a good point.</s>SOCARIDES: The hatred of Barack Obama by these Republicans is so without bounds that they have decided that they want to keep Holder in there just to punish --</s>BERMAN: Hang on one second. Well, you know who thinks it might be a little better, who thinks that this is getting tied up? And it is Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush in New Hampshire yesterday commenting on the Loretta Lynch vote. He thinks the vote should go forward. Listen to what Jeb said.</s>JEB BUSH (R), FORMER FLORIDA GOVERNOR: I think presidents have the right to pick their team in general. The longer it takes to confirm her, the longer Eric Holder stays as attorney general. Look at it that way.</s>BERMAN: So Republicans in the Senate really don't like Eric Holder one bit, yet ironically their inaction is keeping him in that attorney general's office more days.</s>JACOBUS: It is. I think Loretta Lynch will eventually be, you know, she'll be in. It's going to take a little while longer, more questioning which the American people deserve. But I think it's the Democrats who are playing politics. This is actually not about a woman's right to choose. This is about federal funding for abortion. And so, let's not misrepresent what it is. It will be resolved. It's possible both sides are playing politics. But to say this is just Republicans, no, that's not true. I think we need to be sure about this nominee. I think Senator Vitter and others are doing the right thing by making sure that we can make sure to the degree possible she's not a partisan.</s>BERMAN: I think it's more than possible both sides are playing politics. I think it's likely. But thank you both for being with us. Cheri Jacobus, Richard Socarides, thanks so much. Chris?</s>CUOMO: All right, JB, good discussion there. So here's a big question, what made the case against Aaron Hernandez for jurors? They gave their answer to CNN's Anderson Cooper exclusively. They say they faced a number of challenges in finding the former New England Patriots star guilty. That's why it took seven days.</s>ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you feel like he did pull the trigger or do you don't?</s>FEMALE JUROR: I don't know. There's no evidence to support that he pulled the trigger.</s>BERMAN: Anderson in a huge issue there. So, if the jurors weren't sure who pulled the trigger, how did they find Hernandez guilty? The answer in a CNN exclusive you don't want to miss.