Opinion: Calling For Eric Holder's Resignation – Again
As the calls for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation over the “Fast and Furious” gun-running scandal rages on, there is a new wave of demands for him to step down regarding yet another issue in Washington political news.
Politicians are now saying that Holder needs to relinquish his Obama Administration position due the way he is investigating last week’s security leak at the White House. President Barack Obama has said that the mere suggestion that the leaks were initiated by someone in the White House is insulting. Yet, the media – the New York Times - maintains that the information they received were directly from current or past White House staff.
Critics allege that the leaks were intentionally released by Obama’s White House in an effort to make the president look extremely tough during his re-election effort.
Last week’s news break regarding the release of documented-information is being called a severe threat to American citizens’ security. The strictly classified material details Obama’s selected-locations for terror-targeted drone strikes as well as cyber warfare on the nuclear program in Iran. Needless to say, learning who leaked such confidential information is a priority.
Attorney General Holder’s response to the atrocity was to assign two lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the leak rather than to assign independent prosecutors outside of the DOJ.
Holder gives no reason for assigning persons “on the inside” to investigate other than he feels the prosecutors he has assigned are qualified. Politicians are outraged that he is taking actions that give the appearance of protecting the White House from embarrassing revelations regarding the security leak.
The method in which Holder is investigating is causing many to distrust him and to question the honesty of the investigation. Visions of President Nixon’s Watergate scandal come to mind. In the nation’s capital, there appears to be little trust and grandeur allegations of dishonesty against Obama’s Attorney General.
The story exploded on Tuesday when U.S. Senator John Cornyn spoke unabashedly to Holder before a Senate committee hearing. He said: “I would say that you leave me no alternative but to join those that call upon you to resign your office. Americans deserve an Attorney General that will be honest with them. They deserve an Attorney General who will uphold the basic standards of political independence and accountability. You’ve proven time and time again, sadly, that you’re unwilling to do so.”
Sen. Cornyn is right on the mark with his comments. Justifiably, other U.S. Senators have been vocal with outrage at the decisions being made by Holder. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are proposing legislation that would demand an investigation be conducted by independent prosecutors regarding the leaks.
The politicians who are speaking out and demanding an independent investigation are to be applauded for striving for the truth.
Holder’s refusal to admit that he has promoted more suspicion of wrongdoing in the White House than he has aggressively sought to solve wrongdoing is reason enough to ask him to resign. He has been negatively controversial since he was given the job by Obama. By Obama’s acceptance of Holder’s questionable acts as the Attorney General, the public’s perception is becoming more and more of the belief that they could be no less than partners in crime.
Holder has been a growing distraction for America for much too long. Since he refuses to resign, Obama should show him the exit. Such an action would make Obama look good at this point. If Obama doesn’t get rid of him, politicians need to focus their investigation on the Obama-Holder White House relationship as well. Obama’s insistent desire to keep Holder as the Attorney General after all of the controversies simply does not compute.
About Scott Paulson
Scott Paulson writes political commentary for Examiner.com and teaches English at a community college in the Chicago area. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
