From Politico:
Eric Holder's role in the pardon of Marc Rich is unlikely to derail his nomination as attorney general, but it will give Senate Republicans a chance to make their Democratic colleagues squirm.
With a confirmation hearing at least a month away, aides to Republican senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee are already stockpiling statements in which Democratic senators criticized Holder and his then-boss, President Bill Clinton, for the 2000 pardon of the billionaire financier.
"I don't think there is anything [in Holder's record] that would disqualify him," said an aide to one GOP senator on the Judiciary Committee. "Certainly there are opportunities to make some of the Democrat senators a little red faced.”
For instance, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of Democratic leadership and one of the most outspoken members of his caucus, said of the Rich pardon in 2001 that "there can be no justification in pardoning a fugitive from justice."
Schumer is up for reelection in 2010, which means Schumer will carefully choose his words during Holder's confirmation hearings. Don't get me wrong, Schumer will vote to approve Holder, but if Holder finds himself in some unforeseen trouble early in his tenure, it could cause problems for Schumer and other Democratic senators who face the voters in two years.
Related post:
Eric Holder and Pardongate
Technorati tags:
Election 
Democrats 
Schumer 
senate 
congress 
New York 
Pardongate 
Marc Rich
No comments:
Post a Comment