Eric Holder, Jack Quinn and the Rich pardon

salon (yeah, I know) ^ | 12-2-08 | Greenwald

[doug from upland]

Eric Holder, Jack Quinn and the Rich pardon (updated below - Update II)

Two weeks ago, in a largely positive assessment about Obama's likely Attorney General nominee -- entitled "Preliminary facts and thoughts about Eric Holder" -- I wrote:

Holder's involvement in the sleazy Marc Rich pardon is definitely a blemish, though, given his peripheral role, it's a relatively minor one.

Since then, The New York Times has published two pieces -- an Op-Ed by George Lardner and this article today by Eric Lichtblau and David Johnston -- which make conclusively clear that the word "peripheral" is inaccurate. Though Holder wasn't the driving force behind the Rich pardon, the assembled facts nonetheless demonstrate that his involvement in that process was substantial, continuous, and concerted: much, much more than "peripheral."

Everyone can decide for themselves how much weight to assign to that eight-year-old episode. It doesn't substantially alter my view of Holder's nomination, which I still view as being, on balance, a positive step. The reasons for that conclusion raise some points that are well worth examining -- not so much about Eric Holder, but about the Washington establishment.

[BonRad]

marker

[cpdiii]

1. Mark Rich gives big bucks to the Clinton Library.
2. Clinton tells Eric Holder to get Marc Rich pardoned.
3. Eric Holder runs through the pardon of Marc Rich.
4. Janet Reno does what he tells her to do as usual.
5. Eric Holder is simply corrupt. He was corrupt eight years ago. He is corrupt now. The fact that he is corrupt is the reason Barrack Obama wants him to be Attorney General.

The most power-full man in the United States Government is the President. The second most power-full is not the Vice President, it is the Attorney General!!!!

Do you see a problem?

[doug from upland]

Rich did much more than give money to the library. Please pass on this link -— $250 mil bribe to Clinton? -—
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAkaPaPRygo

[mcenedo]

Eric Holder = SLEAZY SCUMBAG TRAITOR

The only question is: Could he be a worse AG than Reno? I know, most of us thought that there would/could never be a worse AG than Reno, the drunken lesbian that stained the office foe eight years.

Holder would really have to work at it and Reno had 8 years of the Clintons' unending scandals to cover up, but, you must say, he has the potential to be worse, and has all those pardons already in the bag as a base of bad conduct to build on.