Cardin and Whitehouse Rally for Holder

Eric Holder, whose nomination to become attorney general is being targeted by Republicans, received support Wednesday from Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and civil rights groups.

Cardin, at a news conference, said that Holder will “restore trust and confidence in a Department of Justice that recently has strayed far from its role as a non-partisan protector of the rule of law and the civil rights of all Americans.” Whitehouse said that Holder will restore the Justice Department’s and rebuild its morale.

Both Cardin and Whitehouse are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will take up Holder’s nomination Jan. 15. The senators appeared with members of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, and the National Women