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Utah's senators split on the confirmation of Loretta Lynch, the nation's next attorney general.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was one of 10 Republicans to support Lynch's confirmation Thursday, joining 46 Democrats and independents to put her over the top in the 100-member Senate.
Lynch, who will be the first black woman to hold that position, will replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
Hatch said that Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was impressive in her confirmation hearings, even if he didn't agree with all of her legal positions.
"She committed to be independent of political pressure and help restore a cooperative relationship with Congress," said Hatch. "Her record of honorable service gives no reason to doubt her integrity when considering these commitments."
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, didn't see it that way.
Like Hatch, Lee is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that had a chance to question Lynch. He said he found her evasive, particularly on the legality of President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration.
"Unfortunately during her confirmation hearing she was not forthcoming on a number of essential issues, most importantly on the question of the extent of prosecutorial discretion and executive power," Lee said in a statement. "I am not persuaded that she would be any different than her predecessor in the job: recalcitrant with Congress, unwilling to answer questions, supportive of unlimited executive power. I hope she proves me wrong."
Lee also said Lynch was "a talented and accomplished lawyer with all the credentials and qualifications necessary to be attorney general."
The first-term Utah senator was among the 43 Republicans to oppose her confirmation, many of them tying their votes to their opposition to Obama's immigration moves, which were meant to allow several million undocumented immigrants to legally stay and work in the United States. Those executive orders currently have been blocked by a federal judge from taking effect — the result of a legal challenge filed by 26, mostly Republican states, including Utah. The administration has appealed.
Lynch's nomination has taken 161 days to come up for a vote, a delay Obama has called "embarrassing." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to allow a vote until the Senate passed a human-trafficking bill that got mired in a debate over abortion language.
The Senate unanimously passed that human-trafficking bill on Wednesday, following a bipartisan compromise. McConnell was among Republicans who supported Lynch's nomination.