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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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