Holder on Board as New Attorney General

Posted on Feb 2, 2009

en.afrik.com

On Monday, the U.S. Senate gave the nod to Eric Holder, President Barack Obama’s pick for attorney general, making Holder the first African-American put in charge of the Justice Department.

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The Washington Post:

Holder, 58, will arrive at the Justice Department headquarters in Washington tomorrow [Tuesday] for a swearing in ceremony and to greet some of the department’s 110,000 employees.

“The need for new leadership at the Department of Justice is as critical today as it’s ever been,” said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), the Judiciary Committee chairman, on the Senate floor this afternoon. “This confirmation is going to do a great deal to restore the morale and the purpose throughout the department.”

The Senate vote occurred four days after Holder overcame concerns by a small but vocal group of GOP lawmakers over his position on national security and gun rights, as well as his recommendations in two controversial Clinton clemency decisions. After delaying consideration of the nomination for a week, the Judiciary panel ultimately voted 17 to 2 Thursday to advance Holder’s bid to serve as the country’s chief law enforcement officer.

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