Lynch demurred to a written question from North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis about an expert the Voting Section put up who had some rather controversial opinions about minority voters.  From the written questions:

5. In July of 2014, during a preliminary injunction hearing in the case of Holder v. North
Carolina, 997 F. Supp. 2d 322 (M.D.N.C. 2014), an expert testifying on behalf of the
United States Department of Justice opined:

Also, understanding within political science, that people who register to
vote the closer and closer one gets to Election Day tend to be less
sophisticated voters, tend to be less educated voters, tend to be voters who
are less attuned to public affairs. . . . People who correspond to those
factors tend to be African Americans, and, therefore, that’s another vehicle
through which African Americans would be disproportionately affected by
this law.

Are you willing to condemn the reasoning of this expert witness insofar as his testimony
effectively asserted that African American voters tend to be “less sophisticated” than
non-minority voters? If not, please explain why not. Would you agree that the
Department of Justice should not use taxpayer dollars to retain such experts who hold
such opinions?

RESPONSE: Because this question relates to pending litigation in which the Department is
participating, I cannot comment.

6. Without regard to the context of the statement referenced in Question 5, above, do you
agree that any assertion that minority voters are somehow “less sophisticated” than nonminority
voters should be rejected as repugnant and offensive? If not, please explain why
not.

RESPONSE: Because this question relates to pending litigation in which the Department is
participating, I cannot comment.