Eric Holder: The Complete Interview

CBS Evening News: Katie Couric Asks The Attorney General About Prosecutorial Malfeasance, State Secrets, Gun Laws And More

(CBS) 
Couric: What about reinstating the - assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole? Do you think that would stop the flow of weapons into Mexico from the U.S.?

Holder: Well, I think the thing we need to do is come up with those things we can do right away. And we're gonna be moving 100 ATF agents to the border. About 26 - DEA agents to the border. And that'll happen over the - course of the next 30 days or so. And I think that'll have a pretty dramatic impact on - reducing the flow of weapons - into Mexico.

Couric: You pledged - as you just mentioned, you pledged greater cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. But given the fact that corruption, as you know, has infiltrated almost every level of law enforcement in Mexico, how will you know the intelligence - intelligence you receive will be accurate?

Holder: Well, I think the American people have to understand that the Mexican government is committed, in a very substantial way, to eradicating the effect of the impact of the cartels on Mexico. We have - what are called vetted units down there. Units that have been vetted by our law enforcement people there, the people with whom we deal - primarily.

But there have been a great number of sacrifices. A lot of people in Mexico have paid - in law enforcement, have paid the ultimate price in this battle against the cartels. And I think we have to support them in every way that we can. And we will.

Couric: How concerned, though, are you - attorney general Holder, about corruption within the ranks of law enforcement in Mexico?

Holder: Well, it - that's clearly a problem. And the attorney general of Mexico will - will tell you that. When you have that amount of money that's flowing - through any country, it has an impact, or has the potential to have an impact - on - society generally. And law enforcement - is no different.

And that's why these units are so important. Why the Mexican attorney general, why the Mexican president have made - an anti corruption battle such an important part of their overall fight against the cartels.

Couric: But that does make cooperation pretty challenging.

Holder: Well, it makes it challenging, but not impossible. And we've come up with ways in which we - are able to share intelligence with - those who are with us in - in these battles against these (UNINTEL).

Couric: President Obama announced he wanted to close Guantanamo within a year. Something - wait sorry. President Obama announced he wanted to close Guantanamo within a year. Where are you going to put the approximately 250 detainees who are currently there?

Holder: Well, there are about 250 detainees there. We make individualized determinations as to who will be released, who will be tried. We also have a detention - review policy under way. And those people, in the - detention review policy team, will make determinations as to where - people can appropriately be placed. No determinations have been made at this point.

But - at least - (CLEARS THROAT) one person has been - relocated to - to England. One person has been - been placed in the article three courts and will - will be tried. And we'll make a case by case determination as to where - the detainees go.

Couric: There are some third party countries who have expressed willingness to absurd some of these people.

Holder: Yes, there are. Not really at liberty to discuss who they are. But I will say that I have had contact with my - European union - counterparts and talked about the possibility of them accepting - detainees. And the one thing they've asked is that we share with them as much information as we can about who these people are. And we'll, obviously, do that.

Couric: Is there any chance that some of the high value detainees, I believe there are 14 of them currently in custody, will be transferred to U.S. prisons?

Holder: It's hard to say. At this point, we are, again, making these individualized determinations. And it's not clear where any of the detainees will ultimately end up. But what we will make sure we do is that the American people will be safe with regard to whatever decisions that we make. That is foremost - in our minds.

Couric: Recently, a federal judge who presided over the case of Musawi - Zacharias Musawi, said that civilian courts of capable of handling high profile terrorism cases. Do you agree with that assessment?

Holder: Yeah, I think, by and large, that's - that's probably true. Again, we'll have to make these determinations on a case by case basis. But we will bring, I think, a substantial number of those people who we decide to charge in article three courts. Others might be taken to - military courts. Others perhaps, to these military tribunals with - some enhanced - enforcement with some - enhance - enhanced measures.

Couric: But some of these cases involve classified information. Wouldn't that compromise national security, if discussed in open court?

Holder: Well, that's one of the reasons why we have to come up with, perhaps, alternatives to article three courts. Though article three courts do have the ability to handle classified information -

Couric: -three courts are to viewers who may not be familiar with that?

Holder: Article three courts are just our regular federal courts. They have dealt with classified information - over the years. And there are ways in which you can have trials in federal courts - without disclosing - classified information.

Couric: There is also the issue of the treatment of some of the detainees. For example, alleged 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. It's been reported that he was water boarded. You have come out publicly and said water boarding is torture. So how would that stand up in civilian court?

Holder: Well, that's one of the issues that we'd have to deal with. Try to figure out - exactly what we can do with detainees who have - have been subjected to these enhanced interrogation techniques. And whether that - poses a problem in bringing - tryable cases. And so, we have to look at these cases, again, on an individual basis and then decide where they best can be tried.

Couric: Senator Patrick Lahey has suggested a special commission to investigate whether federal crimes were committed when it comes to things like water boarding. Do you think that's a good idea?

Holder: Well, I think that's something that, you know, Senator Lahey, the people in the senate judiciary committee, the president will ultimately have to decide. My job is really to focus on the people who are in Guantanamo now and try to come up with ways in which we deal with them. And my focus is on either trying them or releasing them.

Couric: If water boarding, in your view, is torture, what do you think is the most effective technique to get information from, say - an avowed terrorist planning a massive attack?

Holder: Well, I think, if you look at the army field manual, there are a number of techniques that are used there. If you also look at the way in which the FBI - interacts with - with - with people, with people who are in - in custody, I think the FBI is very effective in eliciting information - from suspects, from detainees. And I think - had we used - FBI techniques in the cases that - we're now discussing, we probably wouldn't be dealing with many of the situations that we now have.

Couric: Can you give me a - a few examples of those FBI techniques?

Holder: Well, they - spend time - with the person who's being questioned. They - in some way - establish a trust relationship with them. And then, information seems to flow. The FBI has done a good job throughout it's history, and actually did a good job in interacting with the detainees - who they - who they had - interaction with.

[GovernmentControl]

Does CBS get paid by the obama white house?

[GovernmentControl]

Holder will eventually end up in prison.

[Lizadog]

Mainstream media was and still is a diversion. Liberals don't own broadcasting companies. There are only about five media outlets in the US and they are owned by Capitalists that operate lock-step with one another. The "news" on cable is really entertainment. and they all spew the same lies and propaganda. Cable "news" has been censored for years, and again, the dumbed down Americans can't see that. The only real news and information can only be found on the Internet. www.c-span.org is the only exception for cable news without commentary. While the critics worry about the "liberal media" the North American Union is nearing completion. In 2005 Bush, Canada and Mexico signed an agreement to eliminate all borders and eliminate the dollar. The currency to be used at that point will be the Amero. All three countries will give up their sovereignty and will never be sovereign nations again. There will be no United States of America, only one huge country that will benefit only the elitists. We will soon join the ranks of the third world countries. George Bush's dream come true. While the idiots were watching television and playing video games, President Bush suspended the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He made it very easy to dump our Republic and slide in Fascism. We have been living in a police state since July 2007 and most Americans haven't a clue.

[nohadji]

Factipars Too bad you lose again. LibTards can never understand that gun control will not work. In fact 61% of Americans don't want any more gun control as shown by the latest CNN poll. We don't have to defend our position because the Constitution backs our position. For Lib's, it is all emotion, for gun owners the facts always back our position.

Katie has an agenda and it is very obvious from this interview. It would be nice if she could actually learn how to report from a neutral stance, but of course her liberal mind does not understand that. It is really disgusting that the MSM has lost their ability to report the news.

[MoJo31]

Katie, Eric you guys are blithering idiots. I wish you would leave the rest of us law abiding citizens alone. If you don't want to have guns, then don't! What if I wanted you and everyone else to give up your cars? More people are killed each year by cars than by guns. Should we ban cars to keep people safe? Hell no, you would never want to give up your car because you are a "safe" driver right? Well why should we give up our guns that don't do near as much damage as cars do? Banning guns will not prevent crime. We will always have criminals willing to kill and break the law with or without guns. Criminals don't follow the law, hence the term "criminal". Only law abiding citizens would follow this not criminals. For example, narcotics (drugs) have been outlawed (banned) completely. It is against the law for ANYONE to have them but has this made any difference in the amount of drugs on the streets for the past couple of decades???? No! So please wake up to reality, we cannot un-invent the gun and criminals will always get their hands on it especially with the immense power it would bring in a "gun free" society where law abiding citizens are disarmed and defenseless. Make any sense to you? Of course not your a liberal who "feels" and doesn't think logically, I forgot, sorry. Maybe next life then.

[Factipars]

Once again we are seeing an organized neo-conservative response to a CBS news interview. The same jingoistic tone, the exact same choice of words, the same flawed "arguments"...half the time I get the feeling it's just one or two people who are posting the bulk these comments.

BTW: the term "Lib-****" really doesn't work all that well. It's never going to gain traction. Please do try to come up with something a bit more clever? Rush Limbaugh was able to create better labels for people he didn't like when he was abusing Oxy-C.

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And shame on Ms. Couric for letting Mr. Holder repeatedly duck every question over and over. It's disturbing just how little this guy seems to know about anything. (Those are his words not mine BTW.)

[nohadji]

Oh Katie, what a pathetic LibTard interview that was. This is one prime reason why CBS news is in the $hitter!! "We The People" are fed up with your pathetic Liberal stance on America. The MSM can't be trusted to report even the smallest story with any truth.

First Katie get your damn facts straight about guns and Mexico. The nice LibTard lie was proven weeks ago to be completely false by our own BATF. The real number is 17% of these firearms come from America. Those are being brought in by illegals smuggling them back across the border and not by law abiding Americans. You are doing a great disservice to our country when you open your trap and spew non-stop lies.

Second- The AWB was a pathetic law written by complete morons like ******** and McCarthy and Biden. This law did absolutely nothing to decrease gun crimes. Why, well because criminals don't give a damn about laws.

Third- There is no such thing as a gun show loop hole. Again pathetic LibTard reporting. I don't even know how you can call it reporting, it should be called slandering!! Did you just call that pathetic organization the "Brady Bunch" and ask them what lies you could spew during the interview. Katie why don't you call the NRA and ask to meet with them so that you can get an objective opinion. Hell Wayne would probably even take you to the shooting range so you could actually get an education on firearms. Ask Ted Nuggent, I know he would take you shooting.

CBS News and Katie, if you continue to spew this LibTard slant on your newscast, you are quickly going to have zero viewership. Have you not been paying attention to FoxNews lately. Yah thats right, they have the top 10 news programs in the country. Glenn Beck, Hannity and OReily blow away every other news station out there. Why you ask, simple they don't report with a LibTard slant. If you want to stay in business, I suggest you learn how to do that yourself.

[mr-cheese]

I don't think viewers like japete are really interested in the law. Otherwise they would wonder aloud what happens to all of those individuals who fail the background check becasue they are convicted felons. The answer is "nothing". Though it is a felony for a convicted felon to attempt to purchase a firearm, and many are rejected each year, none are prosecuted by the Dept. of Justice. Do we need more gun laws or should we just enforce the many we already have? Also, Katie mentioned the influence that the NRA has been exerting on Congress but failed to mention the funding from The Brady Center or George Soros. That smells like news making rather than news reporting to me. Please remember that the Second Amendment guarantees all others.

[dugga1]

You people in the "news" business are supposed to _inform_ us. Instead, you simply misdirect and obfuscate.

Item: By definition, there is no such thing as an "unlicensed (gun) dealer." Nor "gun show loophole." What Katy Couric was bloviating about last night on the Evening "News" is private citizens buying and selling personal property. I defy you to show us an "unlicensed dealer." C'mon, just one will do...!

Item: If you choose to refer to self-loading firearms as "assault weapons," how do you differentiate them from the actual select-fire, military (and police _only_) firearms also known as "assault weapons"? Do you care?

Item: 90% of the guns _reported to the BATFE by the Mexican government_ come from the U.S.. Fact: Only about 25% of the guns confiscated are reported by the Mexicans! Yet another fine example of obfuscation and misdirection!

Item: Your insistence on improper word usage makes you appear ignorant at best - and agenda-driven at worst. Why should we believe you about anything? You feed us half-truths and expect us to be so stupid as to swallow it!

Item: CBS is very quick to defend the First Amendment; why do you disparage the Second? Why have your viewers _never_ seen a program or interview in which the Second Amendment is viewed in a favorable - or even neutral - light?

Item: If your business model calls for being an "op-ed" source, fine. If it calls for your being a "news" agency - you're failing badly.

Are you _still_ in the dark about why no one takes your "news" seriously?

[phila48]

Mr. Holden, it has been months since I have tried to contact your office through emails and so on. Abuse of Power with the State Police and Domestic Violence. Please, hear my voice.