Washington, D.C. – United States Attorney General (AG) Eric Holder’s scheduled hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was postponed until after the Easter recess so as not to taint the President’s health care victory summit. But our country’s safety is far too important for political delays, and Holder’s recent behavior must be scrutinized promptly and swiftly.
Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America (CWA), said, “The fact is that the thousands of women we represent cannot and do not feel safe with AG Holder directing the Department of Justice (DOJ). It’s time for Holder to stop ‘holding’ on. His bizarre and dubious behavior has shattered any trust we had in his ability to protect our nation.
“Does he really expect the American people to believe he ‘forgot’ to turn in some documents about an extremely controversial Supreme Court case where he argued against treating dirty bomb terrorist Jose Padilla as an enemy combatant? A case, by the way, that has a direct impact on the most controversial issue Holder has faced so far – how to try 9-11 terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). Still today, they don’t know what to do with the KSM case. It’s a disgrace.”
CWA President Wendy Wright said, “Holder’s recent comments on Osama bin Laden are a prime example of his unwillingness to be truthful with Americans. He was asked a poignant question about the procedure of capturing Osama bin Laden, and he would not answer because, as he said, ‘we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin Laden.’ It is this type of bluster and flippancy that has destroyed our confidence in his judgment. CWA believes the time has come for Eric Holder to resign.”
Mario Diaz, Esq., CWA’s Policy Director for Legal Issues, said, “Holder’s stubborn insistence on treating terrorists as common criminals, standing squarely against the will of the American people and undisputed legal precedent, fits all too well with his work against the procedures of the Bush administration prior to his appointment. It seems his personal beliefs are clouding his judgment, putting politics and ideology above the law and above our national security. We simply cannot trust him anymore.”