Introducing what amounted to a White House press release on Saturday's NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt opened the broadcast by parroting President Obama's praise for attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch: "Historic choice. The woman who's taken down mobsters and terrorists now tapped to be the country's next attorney general."
In the report that followed minutes later, a clip ran of Obama using nearly identical language to describe Lynch at a White House event that afternoon: "Loretta might be the only lawyer in America who battles mobsters and drug lords and terrorists and still has a reputation for being a charming people person."
While such emphasis was given to Lynch taking on "mobsters and terrorists," the only legal case correspondent Kristen Dahlgren highlighted was the prosecution of police officers: "The fifty-five-year-old is currently the U.S. attorney for eastern New York, known for tough convictions, like the New York police officers who assaulted Abner Louima."
Touting Lynch's biography, Dahlgren proclaimed: "The daughter of a school librarian and Baptist minister, Lynch is a wife and stepmother, Harvard-educated, and if confirmed, would be the first African-American woman to hold the post. Significant to civil rights leaders, since the next attorney general will oversee federal investigations including the one in Ferguson, Missouri."
A soundbite ran of MSNBC host and left-wing activist Al Sharpton applauding the pick: "I think Loretta Lynch certainly satisfies all of us that she will continue in the same vein that Eric Holder had began."
The only reference to any controversy surrounding the nomination came at the end of the report, when Dahlgren noted: "While the President urged a speedy confirmation, Republicans may not be as quick to push Lynch through a lame-duck Congress....presumptive Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said 'her nomination should be considered in the new Congress.'"
Dahlgren concluded: "What could be a high-power partisan battle shaping up over a woman the President says has always been more about making a difference than making headlines."
No mention was made of Lynch's predecessor Eric Holder being a lightning rod for criticism.
Here is a full transcript of the November 8 segment:
6:30 PM ET TEASE:
LESTER HOLT: Historic choice. The woman who's taken down mobsters and terrorists now tapped to be the country's next attorney general.
6:35 PM ET SEGMENT:
LESTER HOLT: President Obama announced a historic choice today to be the country's chief law enforcement official. He nominated Loretta Lynch, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, to be the next attorney general, replacing Eric Holder, who is stepping down. We get more tonight from NBC's Kristen Dahlgren.
LORETTA LYNCH: Thank you, everyone.
KRISTEN DAHLGREN: Flanked by President Obama and outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch accepted the nomination for what the President called the people's lawyer.
LYNCH: I will work every day to safeguard our citizens, our liberties, our rights, and this great nation, which has given so much to me and my family.
DAHLGREN: The fifty-five-year-old is currently the U.S. attorney for eastern New York, known for tough convictions, like the New York police officers who assaulted Abner Louima.
BARACK OBAMA: Loretta might be the only lawyer in America who battles mobsters and drug lords and terrorists and still has a reputation for being a charming people person.
DAHLGREN: The daughter of a school librarian and Baptist minister, Lynch is a wife and stepmother, Harvard-educated, and if confirmed, would be the first African-American woman to hold the post. Significant to civil rights leaders, since the next attorney general will oversee federal investigations including the one in Ferguson, Missouri.
AL SHARPTON [MSNBC HOST; NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK PRESIDENT]: I think Loretta Lynch certainly satisfies all of us that she will continue in the same vein that Eric Holder had began.
DAHLGREN: But while the President urged a speedy confirmation, Republicans may not be as quick to push Lynch through a lame-duck Congress. Senator Charles Grassley saying he expected Lynch to get a "fair but thorough vetting." While presumptive Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said "her nomination should be considered in the new Congress." What could be a high-power partisan battle shaping up over a woman the President says has always been more about making a difference than making headlines.
Kristen Dahlgren, NBC News, New York.
