Katie Pavlich: If Clinton wins, Eric Holder will be back

Just over 10 days ago, former Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, which prompted the Democratic front-runner to tweet the following: “From protecting voting rights to challenging discrimination, Eric Holder was one of our finest Attorneys General. Honored by his support.”

One of our finest attorneys general? Considering Holder was the first sitting attorney general and first sitting Cabinet member in U.S. history to be held in criminal and civil contempt of Congress by both Democrats and Republicans, I strongly beg to differ. Not to mention, he left office roiled in scandal and with a low approval rating among the general public.

{mosads}On its face, Holder’s endorsement gives Clinton the green light to demagogue on the issue over Voter Identification laws and to parade through the South claiming Republicans want to strip African-Americans of their right to vote, which of course is completely false.

But Clinton’s return of an endorsement to Holder goes far beyond a thank you for his support. The Clintons have a long-standing relationship with the former AG, one that trumps the much talked about close and loyal relationship between Holder and President Obama.

Eric Holder owes much of his career to former President Clinton, who appointed him to serve as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia in 1993. Two short years after his appointment Holder argued publicly the country must be “brainwashed” against firearms, making him a perfect fit for Hillary Clinton’s extreme gun control agenda.

“What we want to have as part of the gun initiative is an information campaign, to really change the hearts and minds of people in Washington, D.C., and in particular, our young people,” Holder said during an event covered by C-SPAN in 1995. “Every day, every school, at every level.”

“What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that’s not cool, that it’s not acceptable, it’s not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we changed our attitudes about cigarettes,” he added. “We need to do this every day of the week, and just really brainwash people into thinking about guns in a vastly different way.”

Holder suggested television stations, radio shows, big D.C. advertisements and school boards get on board with his gun brainwashing program.

And then of course there was Holder’s role in helping Bill Clinton with his pardons of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, the Puerto Rican terrorist group better known as FALN. FALN was responsible for the deaths and maiming of hundreds of innocent people. Bill Clinton, with Holder’s help, pardoned 16 of its members despite recommendations from the FBI.

“Federal law enforcement agencies considered these individuals so dangerous, extraordinary security precautions were taken at their numerous trials. Courthouse elevators were restricted and no one, including the court officers, was permitted to carry a firearm in the courtroom,” Debra Burlingame reported for The Wall Street Journal in 2008. “Members of Congress viewed the clemencies as a dangerous abuse of presidential power that could not go unchallenged. Resolutions condemning the president’s action were passed with a vote of 95-2 in the Senate, 311-41 in the House. It was the most they could do; the president’s pardon power, conferred by the Constitution, is absolute.

“The House launched an investigation, subpoenaing records from the White House and Justice in an effort to determine whether proper procedure had been followed. President Clinton promptly invoked executive privilege, putting Justice Department lawyers in the impossible position of admitting that they had sent the White House a recommendation on the issue, but barred from disclosing what it was.”

Holder also played a key role in the pardoning of Marc Rich, which was a controversial topic of his confirmation hearing to become attorney general back in 2009.

Like the Clintons, Holder has a long history of corruption, non-transparency and a lack of accountability for wrongdoing. Hillary Clinton has Benghazi. Holder has Operation Fast and Furious. Both are scandals that involved elaborate cover-ups, lying under oath, email deletion and loss of human life. Their records of non-compliance and dismissal of congressional oversight fit well together.

If Clinton secures the Democratic nomination and ultimately a term as president in the White House, you can be sure Holder will be back as part of her new administration. Let’s just hope it isn’t as a Supreme Court justice.

Pavlich is editor for Townhall.com and a Fox News contributor.