Specter to vote for Holder

Posted: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:14 PM by Domenico Montanaro

From NBC's Pete Williams

Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is the ranking minority member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said today he'll support Eric Holder when the committee votes on the nomination Wednesday.

Committee Republicans had asked to have the vote delayed a week to further examine Holder's record and to seek written answers to other questions. Sen. Specter himself appeared highly skeptical during a confirmation hearing earlier this month.

Video: Attorney General nominee Eric Holder answers questions from Sen. Arlen Specter about his involvement in the Marc Rich pardon issued by President Clinton.

But Specter said, despite what he views as Holder's mistakes in handling pardons and other issues, Holder "is entitled to the benefit of the doubt in the context of his excellent record." Specter said he was also impressed by enthusiastic endorsements from Louis Freeh, the former FBI director, and from James Comey, a former deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush.

His questions about Holder, Specter said, concerned matters of judgment.

"At no time did I question his integrity," he said.

By contrast, Specter added, he voted against the nomination of Timothy Geithner for Treasury Secretary, because it appeared Geitner intentionally avoided paying taxes.

Specter said he believes Holder will receive "significant" Republican backing but declined to predict the outcome. With the new Senate composition, the Judiciary Committee is now 11 Democrats and eight Republicans. It was was a 10-9 Democratic majority in the last Congress.

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Comments

Now we can begin the war crimes trials; somebody wheel in Mr. Potter, err I mean Dick Cheney.

Scooter (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:27 PM)

Thanks Arlen... now can you get the rest of your party to start towing the line for the country instead of for their party first

paul (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:30 PM)

spector is too old he needs to retire because he's too right wing reminds me of bush and I don't like that.

mikey furlong from long island ny (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:32 PM)

So...
Whatever Specter's views may be at this time Holder's nomination is essential. Get ready Cheney then next Bush you interlude into the sunset will have light shone on. Holder opened Pandora's box for your justice.
Prosecute Bush/Cheney.
Now it time for Republicans to put this country first and vote for Eric Holder.

Beverly in Chicago (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:34 PM)

WOW !!
Thank you Arlen

Can we get this over with ?

The Previous AG wouldn't prosecute torture or misconduct

The one before that acondoned torture and the politicization of the Dept of Justice

Are the Republicans trying to ensure that Bush Admin figures AREN'T called to account ??

How about Monica Goodling who hired only conservatives and Republicans ?

Free ticket for her ?

Would that say that the Executive branch is above the law ?

MSierra, SF (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:34 PM)

Obama certainly is efficent. Bush appointed people, and then they became crooks. Obama finds crooks, and then he makes them his appointments.

Leave Out The Middle Man (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:39 PM)

let holder go to work. the obstructionist tactics the gop has employed hurts the country not the administration as a whole.

ace (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:39 PM)

Who names their kid "Arlen"?

A Patterson, Florida (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:40 PM)

Great! I now have restored faith in our justice system. Mr. Holder is no longer asked to provide Republicans with assurance that he won't do his job.

Mr. Holder, please get to the CEO's in time to stop them from hiding more of of our tax dollars used in the last bailout to the banks...and don't forget about the off shore swiss bank accounts!

Anita, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:41 PM)

CA in Alabama to Anna Molly: "I agree with you."
Anna Molly to CA in Alabama: "I agree with you too."

Take those two lines times 20, over & over again.

This is the context of the Daily Kos crowd ... patting each other on the back while defiantly sounding stupid.

Pretty Maids All In A Row (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:48 PM)

W!

Thanks!

Bad Chihuahua (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:50 PM)

Holder would be confirmed with or without Specter, so what's the big deal? Specter should worry more about the crimes Bush and Cheney committed while in office, then what Holder did under Clinton. Are all these guys nuts or what?

Diane from Illinois (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:00 PM)

Bush's tax cuts resulted in a +.25% blip on the economy for 3 months. Republicans think that is a good return on a debt which will take 30 years to repay. On the other hand, if the government spends money on infrastructure we are getting something for our money.

Harvey Tran, San Jose

Sorry Harv, no Hoover Dams in this "stimulus" package. About 12% of the money in the pakcage goes to true infrastructure, about $100 billion. The rest is twittered away on bs items. You might be able to build a little dam on some nameless tributary that eventually makes it into the Mississippi with that money. We can name it the Harvey Dam.

Lincoln Loggs (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:09 PM)

Good for Spector. He knows what the Attorneys General were like in the Bush Administration and Holder is an angel in comparison.

eagle1776 (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:12 PM)

How can the Republicans try and say that they have the country's best interest at heart when they suspend the confirmations of Clinton, Giether, and Holder??? Such important positions, and they delay them because of pettiness. We have really problems here folks, time to get over your loss, and own up to your responsbilities. The Republicans got us into this mess, and now they hide from solving it.

Bob, Los Angeles (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:16 PM)

Specter is one of the few Republicans I actually respect. I don't always agree with his politics, but I believe that he always operates from a centerist point of view which is why he's very popular in PA, and not very popular among the rank and file in the GOP. Chris Matthews would never have beaten him in PA (Sorry, Chris).

Day 7 of 100
http://jawillie.blog.com

jawillie, Philadelphia, PA. (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:18 PM)

Yeah, those smart people with degrees, they don't know what they're talking about. We need us some regular folks in Washington, who won't be fooled by all this fancy economics talk, or this nonsense about how climatology is a completely separate discipline from meteorology. Hell with that.

Down with smart people!

Peter, San Rafael, CA

Barney Frank - Just short of a PhD at Harvard
Chuck Schumer - Harvard Law School Grad
Max Baucus - BA in Economics + a JD from Stanford

These are the guys that got us into the mess.
Enough brain power for you Peter?

Rogers Park, Chicago Il (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:19 PM)

Pretty Maids all in a Row ~ I agree with you. I'm sure C A does, too.

Anna Molly (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:37 PM)

Pretty Maids All In A Row (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:48 PM):

Well Pretty, I think I would rather have just one person agree with me from time to time (Anna Molly), rather than no one agreeing with me at all (as in your case). Must be a "pretty" lonely position to be in. At least Anna Molly helps to keep me comfy with myself now and then.

C A, Tuscaloosa, AL (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:38 PM)

At least Senator Specter is a thinking minded republican and knows that Eric Holder is a good choice for the job. The Republicans should not have held up this confirmation for a week, President Obama needs his full team on board, especially his Attorney General.

Merrick (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:57 PM)

"Barney Frank - Just short of a PhD at Harvard
Chuck Schumer - Harvard Law School Grad
Max Baucus - BA in Economics + a JD from Stanford

These are the guys that got us into the mess.
Enough brain power for you Peter?"

Rogers Park, Chicago Il

---------------------------------------------

Roger apparently had amnesia from 2000-2006. Coincidentally the same time the housing bubble was expanding uncontrollably.

NJGuy, NJ (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 4:57 PM)

Once again here we go...What is wrong with you people...Why is it any time a black man is appointed to something its playing the race card....and to the lowlife who commented on the first lady being homely...Shame on you that was completely uncalled for...like the last one was a picture of beauty...grow up scumbag!!!!

Dmont ,long beach Ca (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:08 PM)

itt's amazing how different perspectives on the same set of facts draw different conclusions based on personal biases and ideology.

I don't see where Republicans are being very difficult at all here, ace ol' buddy.

Unless you think using established Senate procedures, requesting more information and inevitably supporting the nominees on an orderly roll call vote is obstruction.

If that's the new definition of obstruction or being difficult, there is a serious lack of perspective on one side of this issue regarding Democrats' "loyal opposition" in the first six years of the Bush administration.

Don't get me wrong, the Democrats played by the rules, too. But don't define the same actions as obstructionist for one side and not the other. It's the way the system works.

Or doesn't work, as the case may be.

Richard, Washington State (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:17 PM)

C A ~ Only now and then? Don't give all these people the wrong idea. ;)

Anna Molly (Sent Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:17 PM)

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