Mediaboss Marketing

13 hours 41 minutes ago by Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Newly released emails show Attorney General Eric Holder saying that Justice Department prosecutors who were critical of the department's handling of the fallout of the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal could "kiss my ass."

Fast and Furious was a botched effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to track firearms across the Southwest border. It led to congressional investigations and turnover within the ATF and Justice Department.

The Justice Department provided the emails to the House's oversight committee. The Associated Press obtained them on Friday.

In August 2011, staff told Holder that a group of U.S. attorneys was upset that the resignation of the U.S. attorney in Arizona was announced simultaneously with the reassignment of the ATF's acting director.

Holder replied, "Some people can kiss my ass."

Read more:
Holder aims vulgarity at critics in email about Fast and Furious

President Barack Obama intends to nominate U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch as his next attorney general, the White House said Friday. If confirmed, she would be the first African American woman to serve in that post.

Lynch, 55, is an experienced prosecutor with deep relationships inside the Justice Department and a long history of litigating political corruption, terrorism and organized crime cases.

"Ms. Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorney's Offices in the country," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. He said that outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. and Lynch will join Obama in the Roosevelt Room on Saturday for the announcement of the nomination. "She will succeed Eric Holder, whose tenure has been marked by historic gains in the areas of criminal justice reform and civil rights enforcement," Earnest said.

Lynch was the least controversial of the final choices before the president, according to several government officials. She has been confirmed twice by the Senate. And she was respected for the way she conducted several high-profile cases without seeking publicity.

Still, the nomination could spark a battle on Capitol Hill. Republicans warned before the midterm election said they opposed the idea of approving a nomination in a lame-duck session of Congress. Democrats, however, may choose to have the confirmation fight while they still have control of the Senate.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is expected to be the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday he expected Lynch to get a "very fair but thorough vetting" from the committee.

"U.S. attorneys are rarely elevated directly to this position, so I look forward to learning more about her, how she will interact with Congress and how she proposes to lead the department," said Grassley, who has tangled repeatedly with Holder. "I'm hopeful that her tenure, if confirmed, will restore confidence in the attorney general as a politically independent voice for the American people."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who is expected to be the next Senate majority leader, said: "Ms. Lynch will receive fair consideration by the Senate. And her nomination should be considered in the new Congress through regular order."

Lynch, who had been rumored for weeks to be a leading contender to replace Holder, chairs the Justice Department review commission that has advised Holder on policy decisions. In that capacity, she worked closely with several senior Justice officials, including former associate attorney general Tony West, who stepped down from his post in September.

"Loretta's an excellent choice smart, steady, talented and experienced," West said in an interview Friday. "You'd be hard-pressed to come up with anyone better qualified or more prepared to be the nation's next attorney general."

Read more:
Obama to nominate Brooklyn federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch for U.S. attorney general

FILE: June 11, 2012: Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the League of Women Voters National Convention in Washington.(AP)

WASHINGTON Republicans' big midterm wins throw a potential curveball at President Obama as he weighs his replacement for outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder -- forcing him to decide whether to introduce a nominee during the lame-duck session or take his chances with a more hostile Senate majority after January.

A short list of contenders already is making the media rounds. But perhaps the more pressing question is when Obama will make his move. With Republicans winning the Senate majority, Obama could have a tougher time if he waits until next year to nominate someone.

However, he also could inflame tensions by pressing ahead in a lame-duck session -- at a time when both sides claim to be giving cooperation a shot.

Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal analyst at Heritage Foundation, suggested the timing might depend on whether Obama pushes someone with political baggage.

"I think if he has someone in mind who might be at all controversial, he won't have any trouble getting [Democratic Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid to push it through the lame-duck session," he said.

So far, missing from the apparent short list are some of the more colorful and familiar names who surfaced in the wake of Holder's resignation announcement -- like outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. The three reported to be in the running, according to unnamed White House sources: Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, and current Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.

Last week, Holder, who announced his departure in September, told a reporter that he expects to stay on until early February. Prior reports, though, signaled the White House might try and replace him shortly after the election.

I dont know if there are any [nominees] that Republicans would speedily or readily confirm, said Sarah Binder, congressional expert at the Brookings Institution, who believes the two-month lame duck session may be too crowded with budget and spending priorities to properly vet and channel a nominee through the dangerous shoals of a Senate confirmation.

So its possible, she said, that these restraints will lead to the White House saying well just have to find a nominee come January, and that it will be a hard road but well find a nominee who will be a bit more acceptable to Republicans.

The rest is here:
Speculation swirls over timing, pick for Holder replacement

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has offered high praise to St. Louis University President Fred Pestello, commending him for his handling of last month's Occupy SLU protest.

In a letter delivered to the university late last month, Holder called Pestello's leadership, nothing short of exemplary" in his managing of the Occupy SLU protest.

Occupy SLU was an outgrowth of wider protests of police shootings that have taken hold in the area since the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

Organized by students and a number of community groups, more than 1,000 people gathered in front of the university's clock tower on the first night of the protests.

In the following days, Occupy SLU turned into an encampment with roughly two dozen protesters living in tents advocating for equality and racial justice.

Protesters, some of whom were students, stayed in their tents for nearly a week before reaching an agreement with Pestello to end the encampment.

The negotiations were among Pestello, the university's Black Student alliance, a protest group called Tribe X and the Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equity, or M-SLICE.

Among the items in the agreement is a larger budget for SLU's African-American Studies program, more money to keep minority students from dropping out; and the establishment of a K-12 bridge program to increase the number of college-bound children in the Normandy and Shaw neighborhooods.

Holder's letter to Pestello credited the university president with confronting simmering conflicts in the St. Louis area and helping to reduce tensions.

Amid reports of continuing conflict, your steady hand, your respect to everyone involved, and your fidelity to the rule of law, as well as the Jesuit values that define the institution you lead have enabled you to bring about a constructive and nonviolent resolution to the encampment at St. Louis University, Holder wrote.

Originally posted here:
Attorney General Eric Holder praises SLU president for handling of campus protest

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Interview with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Interviewer: Opinion Writer, The Washington Post, and Contributor, MSNBC, Jonathan Capehart. The Washington ...

By: The Aspen Institute

Original post:
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder - Video