Eric Holder For Attorney General ?
By Doug Mataconis | Related entries in BarackIt looks like Barack Obama may be ready to name his first Cabinet pick:
Eric H. Holder Jr., a former second in command at the Justice Department who served as President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign co-chairman, is almost certain to be selected for U.S. Attorney General, according to knowledgeable Democratic sources.
Holder, 57, has a rich background within the criminal justice system as a former judge and top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. He is widely known within the city’s legal community and for his philanthropic work on behalf of troubled juveniles detained at Washington’s Oak Hill facility. If he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Holder would be the first African American Attorney General.
For the last several years, Holder has defended private corporations as a partner at the law firm Covington and Burling. But he took on an active role in the Obama campaign as a friend and adviser to the senator from Illinois after meeting him at a Washington dinner party.
Holder has won praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, though his selection is likely to revive questions about his failure to act forcefully to prevent a last minute pardon of fugitive Marc Rich, who won clemency from President Bill Clinton during his last days in office in early 2001.
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Holder has yet to complete an energetic vetting process by the Obama-Biden transition team and his position as attorney general would have to be be confirmed by the Senate. A formal announcement of the choice may not come for a few days, a source familiar with the choice said.
Holder would be an interesting pick, although it would again leave Obama open to criticism that he is relying far too much on former Clinton Administration officials to fill out his Cabinet.
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