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President Barack Obama intends to nominate U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch as his next attorney general, the White House said Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first African American woman to serve in that post.

Lynch, 55, is an experienced prosecutor with deep relationships inside the Justice Department and a long history of litigating political corruption, terrorism and organized crime cases.

"Ms. Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorney's Offices in the country," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. He said that outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and Lynch will join Obama in the Roosevelt Room on Saturday for the announcement of the nomination. "She will succeed Eric Holder, whose tenure has been marked by historic gains in the areas of criminal justice reform and civil rights enforcement," Earnest said.

Lynch was the least controversial of the final choices before the president, according to several government officials. She has been confirmed twice by the Senate. And she was respected for the way she conducted several high-profile cases without seeking publicity.

Still, the nomination could spark a battle on Capitol Hill. Republicans warned before the midterm election said they opposed the idea of approving a nomination in a lame-duck session of Congress. Democrats, however, may choose to have the confirmation fight while they still have control of the Senate.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is expected to be the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday he expected Lynch to get a "very fair but thorough vetting" from the committee.

"U.S. attorneys are rarely elevated directly to this position, so I look forward to learning more about her, how she will interact with Congress and how she proposes to lead the department," said Grassley, who has tangled repeatedly with Holder. "I'm hopeful that her tenure, if confirmed, will restore confidence in the attorney general as a politically independent voice for the American people."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is expected to be the next Senate majority leader, said: "Ms. Lynch will receive fair consideration by the Senate. And her nomination should be considered in the new Congress through regular order."

Lynch, who had been rumored for weeks to be a leading contender to replace Holder, chairs the Justice Department review commission that has advised Holder on policy decisions. In that capacity, she worked closely with several senior Justice officials, including former associate attorney general Tony West, who stepped down from his post in September.

"Loretta's an excellent choice smart, steady, talented and experienced," West said in an interview Friday. "You'd be hard-pressed to come up with anyone better qualified or more prepared to be the nation's next attorney general."

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