Eric Holder is Obama's pick for attorney general. But will his confirmation be a breeze, or a storm? Newsday
recently reported that Team Obama has been taking senators'
temperature with questions about how they view a few controversial
issues in Holder's past, and now the press is mulling over what could
stand in Holder's way. Here's a breakdown of possible confirmation
obstacles:
Marc Rich: Just hours before Bush took office
in January 2001, Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, a billionaire financier
and fugitive indicted on multiple counts of tax evasion, tax fraud, and
illegal oil deals whose wife had donated heavily to Clinton's
presidential library and to the DNC. Holder, then acting attorney
general, said he was "neutral, leaning towards favorable" on the
pardon. Later, he apologized publicly, saying he made a snap judgment.
Elian Gonzales:
While deputy attorney general in 2000, Holder supported a forced return
of Elian to his father in Cuba. Although noting that it would be a last
resort, Holder was quoted in Newsday as saying "We have that power," to seize the little boy. His involvement in the controversy led eight Cuban-American groups to demand in July that Obama drop him from his advisory team.
FALN:
In 1999, Holder reportedly supported granting clemency to 16 members of
the Puerto Rican terrorist group the Armed Forced of the National
Liberation (FALN). A senior Clinton official told the New York Daily
News that although the FBI and U.S. state attorneys argued against
clemency, Holder was in favor of it. He declined to comment at the
time.
1996 CAMPAIGN FINANCING: Congressional
Republicans demanded that as deputy AG, Holder call for an independent
counsel to investigate money from the presidential race, while
Democrats called for Justice to maintain control of any investigation.
Holder said
in 1998 that he saw no "specific and credible evidence" necessitating
independent counsel. Although Justice prosecutors charged several
fundraisers with illegal activity, an independent investigation was
never conducted.