Leahy Lays Out ‘Broad Support’ for Holder

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said that Eric Holder has broad support for his nomination for attorney general ahead of his possibly contentious confirmation hearings.

Leahy’s office on Monday released letters of support for Holder from civil rights and law enforcement groups. One of the letters came from James Comey, a deputy attorney general in the Bush administration and a former federal attorney in New York and Virginia.

“Eric Holder should be confirmed as Attorney General,” Comey wrote.

Comey prosecuted Mark Rich, whom whom President Clinton pardoned in 2001 after receiving advice from Holder, the deputy attorney general at the time. Comey also called Holder “a smart, decent, humble man, who knows and loves the Department and has demonstrated his commitment to the rule of law across an entire career.”

Leahy was critical of Clinton for pardoning Rich in 2001, but he has expressed support for Holder. Republican senators have asked for more documents about Holder’s role in the Rich pardon and high-profile federal cases during Clinton’s presidency. Leahy has scheduled Holder’s confirmation hearing to begin on Jan. 15.

Others who sent letters backing Holder’s nomination include Democratic-friendly groups Planned Parenthood, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the AFL-CIO.

Read Leahy’s full release after the jump.

Holder Nomination Receives Broad Support

Law Enforcement, Crime Victims Advocates,
Civil Rights Organizations And Republican Officials
Urge Confirmation Of Eric H. Holder Jr. As Attorney General Of The United States

WASHINGTON (Monday, Dec. 22, 2008)