The Senate Republican 's most senior member is ready to support President Barack Obama 's attorney general nominee , U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch . Orrin Hatch , a high-ranking member of the upper chamber 's judiciary committee , spoke to reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill about Lynch 's credentials and Republican 's desire to see Eric Holder , the current attorney general , leave office . `` She appears to be a very top-flight person , '' he said . `` And if conservatives do want to get rid of the attorney general , this is a good option because she would replace him and do a very a good job . '' Holder is one of the more controversial members of the Obama cabinet . Seen as overly partisan by Republicans , the House voted to hold him in contempt of Congress in 2012 for refusing to turn over documents linked to Operation Fast and Furious . The announcement of his resignation in September was welcome by those opponents . Lynch , the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York , was nominated by Obama last month to replace Holder , who has served as head of the Justice Department since the beginning of the Obama administration . She 's easily passed through the Senate twice for her nominations as a federal prosecutor . `` I can think of no better public servant to be our next attorney general , '' the President said when he nominated Lynch . `` It 's my hope that the Senate will confirm her for a third time without delay . '' At 55 years old , she will be the first African-American woman to serve as attorney general if confirmed . Hatch 's support is critical to get through the judiciary committee and the entire Senate , both of which will be controlled by Republicans when Congress resumes next year . He did note that he has n't met with the nominee yet . `` I guess I 'm not important enough , '' Hatch , who has chaired the committee multiple times over the past 20 years , joked . Unconcerned she has n't come by yet , he expects to meet with her before her nomination hearings as traditionally done with most committee members . `` I 'm somebody who wants to support the President on these matters , '' Hatch said . `` I think probably she feels like she 's had a lot of people she needs to meet with right off the bat . And that 's fine with me . '' The senior Republican from Utah has a history of supporting Presidents ' judicial nominees of both parties . He voted for both Democratic Presidents Clinton and Obama 's attorneys general , Janet Reno and Eric Holder . His support for Holder , though , has waned . `` I happen to think the attorney general has not done a great job , but I like him personally a lot , '' Hatch said . Presented with the new option , he noted in his amicable , and perhaps slightly eager , tone that Lynch 's nomination `` looks pretty good to me . ''
' Sen. Orrin Hatch , a former Senate Judiciary Committee member , says Obama 's attorney general ' is a ` ` top - notch person '' U.S. Senator Loretta Lynch would replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder .