Day Two of Loretta Lynchs AG Confirmation Hearing Focuses on Eric Holder
Aired January 29, 2015 on NY1 Time Warner Cable News stations) The confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch continued for a second ...
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Day Two of Loretta Lynchs AG Confirmation Hearing Focuses on Eric Holder - Video
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In what was likely one of his last news conferences as head of the Justice Department, outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder today accused Republican critics of being a little irresponsible last week during Senate hearings to vet his likely replacement.
He said many of the questions posed to nominee Loretta Lynch and other witnesses over two days were not particularly relevant to Lynchs qualifications, and a notion that somehow or another this Justice Department has been politicized seemed to permeate that hearing both the first day and the second day.
In a more light-hearted moment from last weeks hearing, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked Lynch: "You're not Eric Holder, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Lynch assured Cornyn with a small laugh. "I will be myself. I will be Loretta Lynch [if confirmed.]"
Cornyn said Holder's record has weighed "heavily" on some of his fellow senators' minds, insisting Holder was "openly contentious" toward Republican lawmakers, "stonewalled legitimate" oversight investigations, and "harassed" states that passed laws requiring certain forms of identification for voters to cast ballots in elections.
But before beginning his remarks today announcing a major financial settlement in Washington, Holder took the opportunity to fire back.
Good morning. And for the record, I am Eric Holder, mocking Cornyns question.
When a reporter noted that last weeks hearing seemed to become a referendum on Holder, not Lynch, Holder shot back sarcastically: Ya think?
I think its a little irresponsible for people on the Hill to say that policy differences that we have with them or decisions that we have made that are not consistent with the way they view the world can be characterized as political, Holder added. There is no politicization of this Justice Department. Im proud of the work that weve done over the past six years, the historic things that we have done, and I would hope that the American people would not fall prey to interesting soundbites that simply are inconsistent with facts.
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Outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder Takes Parting Shot ...
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In what was likely one of his last news conferences as head of the Justice Department, outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder today accused Republican critics of being a little irresponsible last week during Senate hearings to vet his likely replacement.
He said many of the questions posed to nominee Loretta Lynch and other witnesses over two days were not particularly relevant to Lynchs qualifications, and a notion that somehow or another this Justice Department has been politicized seemed to permeate that hearing both the first day and the second day.
In a more light-hearted moment from last weeks hearing, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked Lynch: "You're not Eric Holder, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Lynch assured Cornyn with a small laugh. "I will be myself. I will be Loretta Lynch [if confirmed.]"
Cornyn said Holder's record has weighed "heavily" on some of his fellow senators' minds, insisting Holder was "openly contentious" toward Republican lawmakers, "stonewalled legitimate" oversight investigations, and "harassed" states that passed laws requiring certain forms of identification for voters to cast ballots in elections.
But before beginning his remarks today announcing a major financial settlement in Washington, Holder took the opportunity to fire back.
Good morning. And for the record, I am Eric Holder, mocking Cornyns question.
When a reporter noted that last weeks hearing seemed to become a referendum on Holder, not Lynch, Holder shot back sarcastically: Ya think?
I think its a little irresponsible for people on the Hill to say that policy differences that we have with them or decisions that we have made that are not consistent with the way they view the world can be characterized as political, Holder added. There is no politicization of this Justice Department. Im proud of the work that weve done over the past six years, the historic things that we have done, and I would hope that the American people would not fall prey to interesting soundbites that simply are inconsistent with facts.
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Holder Takes Parting Shot at GOP
Attorney General Eric Holder defended his legacy Tuesday as he announced a $1.37 billion deal to settle allegations that Standard & Poors Ratings Services issued inflated ratings for mortgage bonds ahead of the financial crisis.
He began the event with a sly reference to last weeks confirmation hearing of his would-be successor, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch. Asked repeatedly by Republican senators how shed be different from Mr. Holder, a frequent target of their ire, she deflected by saying: Im Loretta Lynch. She didnt disavow Mr. Holder, but she didnt defend him either.
So when Mr. Holder stepped up to the podium, he said: For the record, I am Eric Holder.
And as he announced the S&P deal, which could be the last major settlement of his tenure related to the financial crisis, he touted his departments record of punishing conduct that contributed to the crisis. His remarks seemed aimed at rebutting criticism that the Justice Departments approach has been too lax.
We have been aggressive in working to address every part of the financial system that contributed to the crisis, Mr. Holder said, noting that Tuesday marked the six-year anniversary of his taking office. We have never hesitated to investigate and prosecute any individual, institution or organization that attempted to exploit our markets and take advantage of the American people.
Mr. Holder still has some unfinished business hed like to wrap up before he leaves. He plans to stay in office until a successor is confirmed, which likely wont happen until late February at the earliest. He said Tuesday that he hopes to make announcements regarding civil rights investigations into the killings of unarmed young black men by Florida neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman and Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson before he leaves office. He also said he expects results of a long-running probe into the Internal Revenue Services alleged targeting of conservative groups relatively soon.
Mr. Holder later defended his legacy against a charge leveled repeatedly by Republicans during Ms. Lynchs hearing and throughout his tenure: that under Mr. Holder, the Justice Department has been a political arm of President Barack Obamas White House and that the attorney general has been too close to the president.
This notion that somehow this Justice Department has been politicized is totally inconsistent with the facts, he said. If you want to look at a politicized Justice Department, you look at the one that I inherited. You look at the way in which hiring was done for political reasons, you look at all the other things that we had to deal with to rebuild this department that I grew up and that I love.
He said hes leaving behind a department with high morale and integrity.
I think its a little irresponsible for people on the Hill to say that policy differences that we have with them or that decisions that we have made that are not consistent with how they view the world can be characterized as political, he said. Theres no politicization of this Justice Department. Im proud of the work that weve done over the past six years, the historic things that we have done and I would hope that the American people would not fall prey to interesting sound bites that simply are inconsistent with the facts.
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Eric Holder Speaks About Eric Holder
Last week the Senate held confirmation hearings for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, but a lot of the questions from Republicans centered around the current occupant of that office, with one even going so far as to ask Lynch if she is Eric Holder.
Today, Holder himself held a news conference in which he started out by saying, For the record, I am Eric Holder.
From there, the attorney general went after Republican critics in possibly one of the last (if not the last) press conferences of his tenure leading the DOJ. He said its a little irresponsible for people on the hill to say that policy differences that we have with them can be characterized as political.
Holder insisted that theres been no politicization of this Justice Department and said such an accusation is totally inconsistent with the facts. The Bush DOJ was politicized when he got in, Holder said, but hes managed to change it.
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Holder Fires Back at GOP: Theres Been No Politicization of This Justice Department