All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said the Obama administration's decision to try professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a federal court is a political move to satisfy "left-wing critics" of military tribunals.

Attorney General Eric Holder has drawn heavy fire from Republicans and some Democrats since announcing last week that Mohammed and four alleged henchmen would be prosecuted in a civilian trial instead of a military tribunal. A CBS News poll released earlier this week shows Americans wary of the idea as well, with 54 percent opposed compared to 40 percent in favor.

Giuliani, who was mayor at the time of the World Trade Center attacks, said the move was part of a political agenda "because it makes no sense," during an appearance on CBS' "The Early Show" Thursday.

"The reality is that they could be tried in a military tribunal. There is no reason to try them in a civilian court. Others are going to be tried in the military tribunal. And the reality is we've never done this before. And this is something that was pushed very, very hard by the left wing for President Obama to do and he's been criticized for delaying in doing it."

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Attorney General Eric Holder defended on Wednesday his decision to prosecute the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other terror suspects in a federal court in New York City.

At left: In this Feb. 25 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder listens during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington. Holder testified Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee defending his decision to put the professed Sept. 11 mastermind on trial in New York.

Holder defended his decision and addressed critics while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Holder told senators that the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan, just blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood, was "the venue in which we were most likely to obtain justice for the American people."

"For eight years justice has been delayed for the 9/11 attacks," Holder said during his testimony. "No more delay. It is time; it is past time to finally act."

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Seven former CIA directors sent a letter to President Obama on Friday urging him to use his authority to reverse Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to re-open and pursue cases of prisoner abuse within the CIA in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

In August, Holder appointed a U.S. prosecutor to begin a criminal probe of CIA questioning of terror suspects during the Bush administration, reversing the course set by the Bush administration. The investigation potentially exposes CIA employees and agency contractors to criminal prosecution.

"Attorney General Holder's decision to re-open the criminal investigation creates an atmosphere of continuous jeopardy for those whose cases the Department of Justice had previously declined to prosecute," the former officials wrote. "Moreover, there is no reason to expect that the re-opened criminal investigation will remain narrowly focused."

Allowing a political appointee to reopen an already-closed case would "seriously damage the willingness of many other intelligence officers to take risks to protect the country," the officials wrote, since they would run the risk of facing "endless criminal investigations" for actions that may have previously been deemed legal.

"Those men and women who undertake difficult intelligence assignments in the aftermath of an attack such as September 11 must believe there is permanence in the legal rules that govern their actions," the letter said.

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Add another name to the Obama administration's injured reserve list.

One day after we learned that Hillary Clinton won't be travelling to Russia because of a broken elbow comes word that Attorney General Eric Holder is dropping out of the Aspen Ideas Festival.

The reason, as CBS News' Deidre Hester reports, is that the AG is having emergency dental surgery today for removal of a cracked tooth. Holder's spokesman said the tooth had to be removed immediately.

Holder was supposed to have participated in an afternoon session today at the festival, which "features leaders from the fields of arts, science, culture, religion, philosophy, economics and politics."

At the installation ceremony this morning for Attorney General Eric Holder, President Obama lavished praise on his choice, but also poked some good-natured fun at him. The president said Holder never hesitates to take on members of his own party, including those to whom he owed his job.

"In fact," said Mr. Obama, "several months ago, Eric even had the audacity to comment to a reporter on my basketball skills. He said - and I quote - here’s what he said. He said, “I’m not sure he’s ready for my New York game. We will see about that, Mr. Attorney General.”

The audience roared with laughter at the swipe.

After taking the oath of office, Holder interrupted his own remarks to respond.

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The Obama administration today made good on an earlier promise to make government agencies more responsive to requests to release documents to the public.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he was overturning the stricter guidelines employed by the Bush White House when it came to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applications. In a memo to heads of executive departments and agencies, Holder instructed government workers to apply "a presumption of disclosure" when handling FOIA requests.

“The American people have the right to information about their government’s activities, and these new guidelines will ensure they are able to obtain that information under principles of openness and transparency,” Holder said in a statement announcing the new guidelines.

In his memo, Holder said that agencies must release information unless doing so is specifically prohibited by law.

The Freedom of Information Act was established in 1967. News organizations and watchdog groups rely on it to access government information that they believe should be shared with the broader public.

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Attorney General Eric Holder has recused himself from all legal matters involving Roger Clemens, who may face perjury charges for lying about his alleged steroid use to Congress, reports the New York Daily News.

Before his appointment, Holder was a partner at Covington and Burling, the Washington law firm that also employs Lanny Breuer, who was one of Clemens' attorneys when the pitcher testified before Congress last year.

Breuer himself has been nominated to serve as assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice's criminal division, a post that would put him in charge of any federal prosecution of Clemens for perjury, the News reports.

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Attorney General Eric Holder was busy announcing the capture of more than 50 alleged members of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel yesterday when he unwittingly stepped into a larger debate about gun control.

Responding to a reporter's question on weapons' regulations, Holder said, "Well, as President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons. I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum."

Holder refused to speculate when legislation would move forward.
"There are obviously a number of things that are -- that have been taking up a substantial amount of [Obama's] time, and so, I'm not sure exactly what the sequencing will be," he said.

Gun rights groups seized on the comments.

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CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that Attorney General Eric Holder will not attend President Obama's address to the Joint Session of Congress tonight, according to a White House source.

This move is made before all presidential addresses to Congress and other similar events so that in case of an attack or disaster at the Capitol, a relatively high-ranking official in the presidential line of succession can step in and govern.

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Attorney General Eric Holder’s assertion Wednesday that America is “essentially a nation of cowards” when talking about race has ignited fires across conservative America.

During a Black History Month speech, Holder said America must confront race relations head on or risk further polarization.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,'' Holder said at the Justice Department. "It is an issue we have never been at ease with and given our nation's history this is in some ways understandable.”

The king of conservative talk, Rush Limbaugh, called Holder’s comments “inexcusable” on his syndicated radio program Thursday

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