If I had to place a bet now in Vegas, it would be that Attorney General Eric Holder doesn’t finish out Barack Obama’s term. Will he resign due to scandal? Say he’s spending more time with his family? Or will it be some other kind of fig-leaf covering reason. News that the House Judiciary Committee chairman is at least talking about the possibility that Holder perjured himself is not a political health tonic — regardless of whether the belief is true or not. And the issue is now out in the open:
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Sunday said the panel is “very concerned” about the possibility Attorney General Eric Holder committed perjury by testifying under oath that he was not aware of an investigation of a Fox News reporter.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said the committee was awaiting a response from Holder on a conflict between his statement and the fact that he had signed a search warrant for the reporter, James Rosen.
Asked on “Fox News Sunday” if he was investigating Holder for perjury, Goodlatte replied: “We certainly are very concerned about that.”
He said the committee had sent Holder a letter asking for a response by Wednesday.
“So yes, it is fair to say we are investigating the conflict in his remarks,” Goodlatte said. “Those remarks were made under oath. But we also think it’s very important the attorney general be afforded the opportunity to respond.”
“So we will wait to pass judgment on that until we see his response,” he said.
Goodlatte criticized the Justice Department’s handling of leak probes after it was found that the department seized phone records of the Associated Press and monitored Rosen’s emails.
The department has said its actions against Rosen adhered to its policies because it never sought to prosecute him, even though an affidavit said he may have aided and abetted a criminal leak.
The bottom line is that Holder is now a political liability. If it turns out that Holder hasn’t perjured himself will Barack Obama stick by home no matter what? Various press reports over the past few months have suggested Obama feels very deeply that Holder should not have to go. And then there’s the issue of giving into partisan critics and Fox News on this issue. With the taste of victory mean more demands? Another factor: if it turns out that polls indicate the majority of voters who voted for Obama believe attacks on Holder are just typical Republican attacks, then Holder could remain in place — for at least most of Obama’s term. Rick Moran nails it:
Without a slam dunk case, it is likely the GOP will not pursue the AG on perjury charges. Republicans run the risk of making him look like a victim or a martyr if the public sees any prosecution of Holder as motivated by partisanship.
But there is little doubt Holder is becoming a liability for Obama and it is possible he will resign – especially if the president sees him as a drag on his popularity.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.