Obama chooses Eric Holder as attorney
general
Former United States
president, Clinton deputy attorney general, Eric Holder is
President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for the position of attorney
general, according to two prominent Democrats involved in
transition matters.
Sources say Eric Holder has
been asked by President-elect Barack Obama to become his attorney
general.
Holder, who is still being
vetted, has indicated he will accept the job if it is offered, the
sources said.
If confirmed, Holder would
be the first African-American to lead the Justice Department.
Holder, 57, co-chaired
President-elect Obama’s vice presidential selection process. A
graduate of Columbia University and former federal prosecutor, he
is a partner at the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling.
Holder first joined the
Justice Department in the administration of President Jimmy
Carter, assigned to the newly formed Public Integrity Section in
1976 straight out of Columbia University Law School.
President Ronald Reagan
nominated him to be an associate judge at the Superior Court of
the District of Columbia, where he served for five years.
He left that post to become
the first African-American U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia, chosen by President Bill Clinton. He served in that
position until Clinton picked him to become deputy attorney
general, the first African American to hold that position as well.
Four former Justice
Department Democrats who worked for Holder during that time said
they were pleased with the news that Holder would likely be
attorney general, and all hinted that they may be willing to
return to the department.
"He’s a great choice for
attorney general," said the attorney, who asked not to be
identified because the nomination is not yet official. "He’ll be
terrific."
The attorney declined to say
whether he would apply to again work for Holder, but left little
doubt of his interest. He said he had privately advocated for the
Holder nomination.
"It’s very far along," said
another former Justice attorney who has professional ties to
Holder and also asked for anonymity.
The Democratic attorney said
he has spoken recently with Holder about the post.
He said Holder asked him,
"If this were to come to pass, what are some of the things that
you’d like to see done?" He said one thing he would expect under
Holder would be strengthened relationships with police departments
and more federal funding for local law enforcement, including more
police officers.
The official also pointed to
a strong, long-standing relationship between Holder and FBI
Director Robert Mueller, who is expected to remain in that post.
Mueller, who previously had a lengthy career in the Justice
Department, returned to prosecution after a brief stint in private
practice as an attorney in Holder’s District of Columbia U.S.
Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted homicides.
Holder pushed for Mueller to
get the nod for U.S. Attorney in San Francisco when that job
opened in 1998, and Mueller stayed in that position until
President George W. Bush tapped him to head the FBI in 2001.
The former official also
said he was confident a flap over Clinton’s pardon of commodities
trader Marc Rich would not be a major hurdle for Holder with a
Democratic Congress.
Rich fled to Switzerland in
1983 while being prosecuted on tax evasion charges. Clinton
pardoned him in 2001 just before he left office. Critics contended
that Clinton issued the pardon because Rich’s former wife had made
substantial donations to the Democratic Party and Clinton’s
library.
Holder testified later
before a Republican-controlled Congress and acknowledged if he had
it to do over again, he would have handled it differently.
Holder has also served on
numerous philanthropic boards and has won several awards and
honorary degrees.
Holder’s wife, Sharon
Malone, is an obstetrician. The couple has three children.
