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Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Eric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general hired by Uber Technologies Inc. to investigate sexual harassment claims, pledged to act with complete independence in his review of how the company handled the situation.

Speaking for the first time since he was appointed as a lead on an examination of the company, Holder said Uber has given him carte blanche and that he has the power to determine whether management is culpable. He said he would leave no stone unturned, responding to concerns about his impartiality expressed by two Uber investors.

I will put my personal reputation behind everything that I say, Holder said. I think Ive demonstrated throughout my career the ability to be independent, to not be afraid to express contrary views, and thats what Ive told everybody here at Uber. If you are going to ask me to do this, you have to be prepared for me to simply look at the facts as they are, look at the policies as they are, look at the culture as it is and make recommendations, make findings on that basis, without any regard for anything other than that.

Uber brought in Holder and Tammy Albarran, his colleague at law firm Covington & Burling, to lead an inquiry into allegations made by Susan Fowler, a former software engineer at Uber. In a blog post published Sunday, Fowler wrote that her manager at Uber had propositioned her for sex and that the San Francisco-based companys human resources department had told her that the manager would not be punished, in part, because he was a high performer.

Mitch and Freada Kapor, early Uber investors,voiced objections Thursday to aspects of the review process, specifically questions around independence of the investigators. Holder has worked for Uber on projects in the past. Uber board member Arianna Huffington, the companys new head of human resources Liane Hornsey and Ubers associate general counsel Angela Padilla will also participate in the inquiry.

After Holder stepped down as attorney general in 2015, he was hired a year later to conduct a review of Airbnb Inc.s processes after customers complained they were being racially discriminated against when trying to book rentals. He also worked on Ubers behalf last year in an effort to defeat fingerprint background check legislation.

Holder said his previous work for Uber shouldnt disqualify him from conducting an independent investigation. What I said in letters with regard to Ubers opposition to the use of fingerprinted background checks was consistent to what I said as attorney general of the United States, he said.

Bill Gurley, a venture capitalist who sits on Ubers board, said the company chose Holder to review itsworkplace practices and culture due to his stature, demonstrated interest in these areas and reputation for independence. Uberwill take Holders findingsand translate them into action, Gurley said. David Plouffe, a non-voting member of the board, also defended the pick on Thursday, describing Holderasideal for this assignment.

Since hiring Holder, the ride-hailing company has only spun further into crisis. On Tuesday, Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick delivered a tearful apology to employees for the companys cultural failings. The next day, the New York Times reported that an Uber manager had groped several female employees at a company party in Las Vegas and was later fired. The report described a generally hostile work environment in which one manager shouted a homophobic slur at an employee and another threatened to beat an employee with a baseball bat.

Holders investigation is in its early stages, and he declined to provide a timeline. I dont want to emphasize speed over thoroughness, but I think speed is a component of doing this the right way, he said. This is not something we want to fester.

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Excerpt from:
Uber Investigator Eric Holder Asserts His Independence - Bloomberg Big Law Business