WASHINGTON — The White House blasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday for holding up confirmation of President Barack Obama’s pick for attorney general, arguing the “unconscionable delay” was a stain on the Kentucky Republican’s leadership.

McConnell warned over the weekend he wouldn’t hold a vote on Loretta Lynch’s confirmation before the Senate finishes a human trafficking bill that has hit a roadblock over a provision regarding funding for abortions. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the delay on the attorney general post reflected “inept leadership,” not a flaw in the bill.

“You’ve got to hand it to Republicans, that they’ve taken even a measure as common sense as that and turned it into a partisan controversy,” Earnest said. “That is not a reflection of a flaw in the bill. It’s a reflection of inept leadership.”

Although the White House frequently threatens to veto pending bills unpalatable to Obama, Earnest wouldn’t say whether Obama would sign the bill with the abortion language included.

“The fact that leader McConnell can’t build bipartisan support for a child sex-trafficking bill, I think, is an indication that his leadership here in the majority is not off to a very strong start,” Earnest said.

In a sharp rebuke, the White House appeared to question whether Obama can trust McConnell and his fellow GOP leaders and “whether their word is good with the president.” Earnest pointed out McConnell had argued last year that Lynch’s confirmation should wait until the new GOP-run Senate was seated in January, but was now claiming publicly it was Democrats who prolonged the confirmation by waiting until 2015.