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Former attorney general Eric Holder is now in charge of a Democratic organization dedicated to overturning Republican gerrymanders, but that doesn't mean he wants to replacethem with districts drawn to favor Democrats, he said Tuesday.

Instead, hetold The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, he wants to put the parties on an even playing field by drawing fairer, more competitive maps.And as Holder's National Democratic Redistricting Committee sees it, that requires electing Democrats to statewide office first.

I wouldn't have signed up for this if it was an attempt to gerrymander for Democrats, Holder said, adding that he believed Democrats didn't need gerrymandering because they are right on the issues and have the support of the people.

[This is the best explanation of gerrymandering you will ever see]

Holder's committee saysthat electing Democrats is one part of its four-part strategy to end gerrymandering, which also includes challenging gerrymanders in court, engaging voters in the redistricting process and enacting state-level reforms to ensure fairer congressional maps.

It's that last part changing laws about redistricting that independent experts say is key to mitigating gerrymandering. In most states, redistricting is handled like any other piece of legislation, with partisan lawmakers drawing maps that are subject to a governor's veto.

This creates an incentive for political parties todraw maps that disadvantage their opponents, especially in states where a single party has control over both the legislature and the governor's mansion.

That's exactly what happened in 2011: Republicans drew maps in a number of states that gave themselves an overwhelming partisan advantage relative to Democrats.In 2012, for instance,RepublicanHouse candidates in Wisconsin wonless than 50 percent of the statewide popular House vote, butended up with five of the state'seight House seats. In North Carolina, Republican House candidates earned less than 49 percent of the popular vote, but 13 of the state's 18 House seats.

Democrats controlled fewer states in 2011, leaving them with fewer opportunities to gerrymander. But certain states, such asMaryland, and to a lesser extent Illinois, stand out as examples of Democratic gerrymanders.

A number of states, such as California, Arizona and New Jersey, have opted to put the redistricting process in the hands of an independent commission.Researchers have found that districts drawn by independentpanels tend to be more competitive and show less partisan skew thanthose drawn by politicians. Voters have also grown increasingly distrustful of politician-drawn districts.

For the time being, however, Holder's group is focused primarily on putting Democrats in officerather than on changing existing laws. In part, that's because Republican-controlled state legislatures have balked at redistricting reform efforts.

In Pennsylvania, for instance, Republicans have refused to give a bipartisan redistricting reform bill a hearing.A number of reform proposals before the Republican-led North Carolina legislaturearestalled in committee. In Arizona, meanwhile, Republicans are spearheading an attempt to change the rules governing the state's independent redistricting commission.

Would Democrats do a better job of promoting fair and competitive congressional elections, as Holder's group maintains?

That remains to be seen, but the case of Maryland, one of the few extreme Democratic gerrymanders, provides some reason for skepticism. There, Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly refused to take up redistricting reforms proposed by the state's Republican governor.

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Former Obama administration attorney general Eric Holder speculated this week on what would incentivize him to run for president.

Holder was asked in an interview with the New York Times about running for the highest office in the land. The reporter asked, If you were gonna do it, why would you do it. If you didnt do it, why would you not do it?

Holder saidIf I were gonna do it, Id do it because I would have concluded that maybe I could unify the country help unify the country. Holder said he could also advance and repair the country as president.Holder said, I had something to contribute, that would be the thing that would push me toward considering a run.

Holder said that the strain on his family would be the reason he would not run for president. The former attorney general noted that his family would regularly be bothered by the news stories and hearings that surrounded his contentious helm at the AG position.

To subject myselfand my family to that again could be a negative, Holder said.

Holder has speculated on a 2020 run in the past few months in various interviews.

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Eric Holder For President: 'Unify Countr | The Daily Caller

Former Attorney General Eric HolderEric Himpton HolderPavlich: The claim Trump let the mentally ill get guns is a lie Pennsylvania Supreme Court releases new congressional map 36 people who could challenge Trump in 2020 MORE and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R)on Fridaycalled for an investigation into the activities of Russian trolls they say inflamed tensions in Milwaukeeafter a police shooting.

Several Twitter accounts known to be linked to the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, including one impersonating the Tennessee Republican Party, posted tweets claiming Black Lives Matter activists were celebrating the murder of a member of the National Guard after riots began in August 2016,The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

However,theNational Guard had not been deployed following the death ofSylville Smith, anAfrican-American man who was shot to death by a police officer after he had thrown his gun away and was lying down unarmed.

Holder called for an investigation into the "impact" of the false social media posts by the Russian accounts.

"I think its incumbent upon people both at the state level and the federal level to hold hearings, to find exactly who was behind that and what was the impact of that effort," he said, according to the Journal Sentinel.

A spokeswoman for Walker's office told thenewspaper that foreign intrusion in Milwaukee's communities was "outrageous" and called for a full investigation by federal authorities.

"We believe it is outrageous that any foreign interests would try to cause disruption in our communities and hope the federal government will spend time looking into this interference," said Amy Hasenberg.

In February, special counsel Robert MuellerRobert Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud choice of Mueller to lead Russia probe MORE indicted 13 Russian nationals connectedto the Internet Research Agency for stealing the identities of U.S. citizens and creating false social media profiles to spread false information among voters in swing states.

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Eric Holder, Scott Walker call for probe of Russian trolls ...

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is heading to Wisconsin this week to campaign for Supreme Court candidate Rebecca Dallet.

Holder, who was Attorney General under President Barack Obama and leads a group that has sued Gov. Scott Walker over not calling special elections for open legislative seats, will visit Madison and Milwaukee on Thursday and Friday.

Holder, who heads the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, will meet with Milwaukee-based Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and visit the UW-Madison campus on Friday for a forum hosted by NextGen America on the 2018 elections, redistricting, and voting rights with college students and young activists.

The events will be focused on the importance of redistricting reform in Wisconsin, voting rights, and getting African-Americans and young people engaged ahead of critical elections this year, including voting for Rebecca Dallet on April 3 in the race for the state Supreme Court, a statement from the group said.

A spokeswoman for Dallets campaign said Dallet would not appearing with Holder.

Last month, the group filed a lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court against Walker over Walkers decision to not call special elections for two open legislative seats. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two residents who live in those districts.

Democrats have demanded Walker call the elections after picking up a Senate seat long held by a Republican. The victory energized state Democrats and alarmed Walker, who told state Republicans the victory was a wake up call.

Dallet has made the issue of recusing from cases involving conflicts of interest a focus of her campaign. She has heavily criticized former Justice Michael Gableman, who she is seeking to replace on the court, for a decision in 2015 not to step off a case involving the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which had spent millions to help elect Gableman.

Dallet also has been criticized by Republicans and Screnock for accepting campaign donations from attorneys in cases before her while also touting the importance of recusing from cases with conflicts of interest.

When asked if $140,000 is enough to trigger a recusal from hearing cases involving Holders lawsuit if Dallet is elected and should the case wind up at the Supreme Court, Dallet said, It might.

Certainly if millions of dollars were spent on my campaign by a party in a case that was sitting in front of me as a party in a case, then I would recuse myself, Dallet said Tuesday after speaking at a Madison forum held by the Dane County Bar Association. I think were talking about massive amounts of money spent by a group that is a party in a case in front of a justice then that justice should then step off the case.

She said her stance distinguishes herself from Screnock who refuses to make those assurances.

WMC has spent more than $500,000 on behalf of Screnock. Screnock has not answered whether he would recuse from cases involving the group. He says he would if he felt he could not be impartial.

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Eric Holder to campaign for Supreme Court candidate Rebecca ...

Former Attorney General Eric Holder challenged Republicans to a knife fight declaring that he and other Democrats are ready torumble.

Holder, who headed the Obama Justice Department from 2009 to 2015, spouted his violent rhetoricat a campaign stop in Wisconsin on Thursday. He told Democrats they need to be focused and disciplined heading into midterm elections, according tothe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We have to be ready to, you know, not do anything inappropriate, not do anything improper, certainly not do anything unlawful, he said.

But to the extent that they want to have a fight, lets do it, he added. You want to rumble, lets rumble. You want to have a knife fight, were gonna do it.

Holders swing through Wisconsin was meant to motivate liberals to turn out the vote for Supreme Court candidate, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Rebecca Dallet. She faces Republican-backed Sauk County Circuit Judge Michael Screnock in the April 3 election.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee, headed by Holder, is spending$140,000 on digital ads backing Dallet and may spend more in the coming days, according to theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel. The group is also suing Republican Gov. Scott Walker for not holding special elections in order to fill two vacant state Legislature seats.

Holder must have taken some inspiration from his former boss while in Wisconsin.

During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Obama said at a stop in Philadelphia, If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun. Because from what I understand, folks in Philly like a good brawl. Ive seen Eagles fans.

Holder holds the dubious honor of being the only cabinet member in U.S. history to be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to release documents to the House Oversight Committeethat pertained to the failed DOJ sting operation known as Fast and Furious, which placed allowed weapons to get in the hands of Mexican drug gangs.

He has become increasingly more vocal in his criticism of President Trump.

He joined the liberal cacophony on Friday reacting to news that former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired, calling the timing cruel and slamming Trump as an erratic President who shouldve played no role here.

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Eric Holder: You want to have a knife fight, were gonna do it