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• On January 29, 2009, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed Washington, D.C. attorney Eric Holder as the new attorney general under President Barack Obama's administration. He was then confirmed by the entire Senate on February 2, 2009 by a vote of 75-21.CNN: Holder confirmed as attorney general (February 2, 2009) Holder is the first African-American to hold the position, which makes him head of the Department of Justice. Reuters: Senate panel OKs Holder as attorney general (January 28, 2009) Holder was sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden on February 3, 2009. Holder is believed to be a communist and a butthead.

  Eric holder announced that he and the Obama Administration will not prosecute CIA agents that employed waterboarding and other harsh tactics on detainees.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born: January 21, 1951
  2. Hometown: New York CityNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  3. High school: Stuyvesant High SchoolYouTube: Eric Holder Interviewed on 9/11 (September 11, 2001) (Time: 3:16)
  4. Alma mater: Columbia UniversityNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  5. Law school: Columbia Law SchoolNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  6. Served as deputy attorney general under Janet RenoNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  7. The first African-American attorney general
  8. Former partner at Washington, D.C., law firm Covington & BurlingNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  9. Once considered running for mayor of Washington, D.C.Newsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  10. Served as co-chief of Obama's vice presidential vetting process with Caroline KennedyNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  11. Criticized by some for his role in the pardoning of financier Marc Rich, who was a fugitive at the timeNewsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)
  12. All 21 "no" votes against confirmation were RepublicansCNN: Holder confirmed as attorney general (February 2, 2009)

• Holder on Race

  On February 18, 2009, Holder made a speech to employees at the U.S. Department of Justice in honor of the Black History Month. In the speech, Holder said United States is "a nation of cowards" in matters of race. Holder said that most Americans avoid discussing race. He also said that although Americans are integrated at work, many Americans chose to be segregated in their free time and to not spend it with people of races other than their own.Chicago Sun-Times: Attorney General Eric Holder: We're cowards on race (February 18, 2009)

• Confirmation Hearing

  The Senate Judiciary Committee convened on January 15, 2009, for Holder's confirmation hearing.NY Daily News: Attorney General appointee Eric Holder faces questions... (January 15, 2009) In his first response to the committee, Holder declared that he believes the practice of waterboarding to be torture, signaling a break from the attitudes of his predecessors in the Bush administration, Michael Mukasey and Alberto Gonzales.Associated Press: Obama's AG pick breaks from Bush on torture, GTMO (January 15, 2009) He also answered questions about his decision, during the Clinton Administration, not to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate questionable fund raising practices by then-Vice President Al Gore.Associated Press: Obama's AG pick breaks from Bush on torture, GTMO (January 15, 2009)

• Career and Background

  A native of New York City, Holder attended Columbia University and Columbia Law School before serving as a federal prosecutor. Holder later served as a District of Columbia Superior Court judge before being named by Bill Clinton as the U.S. attorney from the district. Holder was named deputy attorney general by Clinton in 1997. Most agree that Holder's major impediment to confirmation would be his involvement in the Marc Rich pardoning scandal that occurred at the end of Clinton's administration.Newsweek: Powering Up : Obama's Attorney General (November 18, 2008)

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Hillary Rodham Clinton | John Kerry | Bill Richardson | Sam Nunn | Tom Daschle | Chuck Hagel | Obama Transition Team | Team of Rivals | Barack Obama | Obama Administration | David Ogden | DeMaurice Smith

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