Lynch Is Expected to Be Cleared as Attorney General, Carter as Defense Secretary

WASHINGTON—Key Senate Republicans indicated Wednesday that two of President Barack Obama ’s highest-profile nominations—for attorney general and secretary of defense—probably will be confirmed, but only if there are no major missteps during what the senators promise will be probing confirmation reviews.

Hearings on Ashton Carter, the nominee for defense secretary, and on Loretta Lynch, the pick for attorney general, are expected to begin by the end of January or early in February, after the White House submitted them to the new Senate Wednesday.

Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.) said Mr. Carter, a former deputy defense secretary, was “pretty popular with Republicans.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) praised the choice of Ms. Lynch, a longtime U.S. prosecutor, to succeed Attorney General Eric Holder .

“I think she’s a qualified person. She’s going to have to handle herself well, but I think she was a solid pick,” Mr. Graham said.

But while GOP lawmakers said both nominees are likely to receive bipartisan support, they signaled the White House should expect its nominees to be highly scrutinized now that Republicans control the Senate. A senior GOP aide, noted, for example, that nominees who are Democratic campaign contributors will face a tougher road to confirmation.

GOP lawmakers also said they would expect the White House to choose nominees with moderate political views to attract GOP support. Senators said White House nominees are likely to face tough questions over contentious political issues such as immigration and U.S. foreign policy, where the White House and GOP continue to clash.

“The president is pushing so many policies beyond what I think are legitimate and lawful that nominees will have to answer those questions in addition to the normal complaints and grievances,” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) said.

How Republicans handle Mr. Obama’s nominees now that they control the Senate is likely to influence the relationship between the White House and Congress in the final two years of his presidency.

The frequent nomination battles in the past few years have been among the most bitter fights between the two parties, greatly contributing to the broader partisan discord that has beset Capitol Hill.

Senate Democrats, angered at GOP blocking of Mr. Obama’s nominees, exercised the so-called nuclear option in 2013, changing Senate rules to require only a simple majority to advance most nominations. Senate Republicans and staff said a decision has yet to be made over whether to reverse that rule change now that Republicans control the chamber.

The fight over nominations was on display in the waning days of the last Congress, when Senate Democrats pushed through a number of judicial and executive-branch nominees over GOP opposition. These included Vivek Murthy, who had been opposed by gun groups, to be U.S. surgeon general.

Mr. Graham said a similar push to move Mr. Obama’s nominees won’t occur in his final two years. “They’re going to have a harder time jamming them through. He’ll get some of his nominations, but I think the ideological mix is going to change,” Mr. Graham said.

A number of Senate Republicans said it wasn’t their role to dictate whom the president chooses for executive-branch appointments, though they stressed the need for ensuring candidates are appropriately qualified.

“We ought to move them through. The president ought to have his people, unless there’s some disqualifying aspect,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.) said.

Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.), who will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it is important for both parties to have empty executive-branch positions filled. “Certainly, I want to move nominees. You want good people in positions,” Mr. Corker said.

Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) said he expected Mr. Carter’s nomination to be brought before the full Senate not long after a confirmation hearing. He promised “a very intense hearing,” though he said he expects Mr. Carter to be confirmed.

Mr. Sessions said Ms. Lynch will likely face questions about whether she would be willing to push back at the White House over legal matters. “The attorney general has a high responsibility. The attorney general is the one who always has had to go into the president’s office and say, ‘No, Mr. President, we cannot support this,’ ” Mr. Sessions said.

A spokeswoman for Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley (R., Iowa) said he spoke to the White House about beginning hearings for Ms. Lynch in late January or early February. Mr. McCain, who will chair the Armed Services panel, said Mr. Carter’s hearing could occur in early February, “which is the earliest time his health allows it.” Mr. Carter had back surgery last month.


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