RUTHFULLY YOURS

Former attorney general Eric Holder scolded Jeff Sessions for the “rushed” firing of FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe under pressure from the White House.  Holder said Sessions needs “to have the guts” to stand up to President Donald Trump.

This is the same Eric Holder who on June 28, 2012 became the first U.S. attorney general in history to be held in both criminal and civil contempt by the House of Representatives in a 255-67 vote, with 17 Democrats voting for the measure (the rest of the Democrats walked out of the House, refusing to vote).

Peculiarly enough, in the first part of his claim, Mr. Holder may be not too far from the truth.  Jeff Sessions really does “need to have the guts”…to consider starting a DOJ investigation of Holder’s activity in 2009-2015, when he “served” our country as the U.S. attorney general.  And Sessions knows it as well as anyone.  It was Republican Senator Jeff Sessions who gave a well deserved objurgation to Mr. Holder on June 17, 2009, at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.  Back at that time, Sessions was of the opinion that after spending only five months on the job, Holder put into question the integrity and independence of the Department of Justice.

According to then-senator Jeff Sessions, in just a few months, A.G. Eric Holder, among other things, ignored recommendations of the Office of Legal Counsel on the constitutionality of a D.C. voting bill, refused a request from law enforcement officials to keep interrogation methods confidential, and released dangerous detainees from American prisons.

The list of Holder’s “achievements” as A.G. could be continued to eternity.  On February 18, 2009, during Black History Month. Eric Holder called USA a “nation of cowards” on racial issues, stirring much controversy and even a statement  from President Obama mentioning that he “would use different language” talking about the same issue.  Mr. Holder refused to prosecute the famous case of voters intimidation by the Black Panthers in Philadelphia and called only black Americans “my people” while supposedly representing the whole American nation.  According to some ATF officials, Eric Holder was allegedly involved in the cover-up of the details of the failed “Fast and Furious” operation, which left 2,000 guns in the hands of Mexican drug-dealers and led to the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in December 2010.  The scandalous case was investigated by Rep. Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley.  According to them, A.G. Holder’s approach to their efforts  “distorted the truth and obstructed investigation.”

One more “little” thing: In 2013, Holder modified the Justice Department’s sentencing policy for low-level drug-related crimes out of the belief that they were discriminatory and destabilizing.  He mandated lesser penalties for “minor” drug crimes during the time when thousands of Americans die from illegal drug abuse every year.

Is the guy with this résumé really qualified to issue any advice to Attorney General Jeff Sessions?