Justice Dept. Releases Hagiographic Video Heralding Eric Holder’s Legacy

HOLDER I grew up ░░░░░░░░ this department I ve ░░░░░░░░ in this department since ░░░░░░░░ on and off but ░░░░░░░░ on I have a ░░░░░░░░ of memories here I ░░░░░░░░ an emotional attachment to ░░░░░░░░ place My love of ░░░░░░░░ department goes beyond the ░░░░░░░░ NN MALE Can you ░░░░░░░░ me about the call ░░░░░░░░ the President called you ░░░░░░░░ asked you to be ░░░░░░░░ General How d that ░░░░░░░░ go HOLDER I m ░░░░░░░░ sure it was a ░░░░░░░░ I was at home ░░░░░░░░ my wife picked up ░░░░░░░░ phone MALONE I remember ░░░░░░░░ the phone and someone ░░░░░░░░ President elect Obama would ░░░░░░░░ to speak to Eric ░░░░░░░░ HOLDER And she said ░░░░░░░░ s Barack Obama MALONE ░░░░░░░░ re overcome at that ░░░░░░░░ HOLDER I think I ░░░░░░░░ a joke and said ░░░░░░░░ I have to think ░░░░░░░░ this and then I ░░░░░░░░ I ve thought about ░░░░░░░░ I think the space ░░░░░░░░ having to think about ░░░░░░░░ and having thought about ░░░░░░░░ was about a nanosecond ░░░░░░░░ So that was the ░░░░░░░░ and I remember thinking ░░░░░░░░ up the phone and ░░░░░░░░ that Wow you are ░░░░░░░░ about to be part ░░░░░░░░ something big HOLDER I ░░░░░░░░ Himpton Holder Jr do ░░░░░░░░ swear LEAHY I remember ░░░░░░░░ well the day Eric ░░░░░░░░ was sworn in You ░░░░░░░░ this cheer Applause EMANUEL ░░░░░░░░ came in at a ░░░░░░░░ when the Justice Department ░░░░░░░░ under scrutiny because of ░░░░░░░░ relationship between the White ░░░░░░░░ and the Justice Department ░░░░░░░░ Morale was not good ░░░░░░░░ Republican appointed U S ░░░░░░░░ from previous administrations were ░░░░░░░░ about the politicization And ░░░░░░░░ had a big job ░░░░░░░░ of him LEAHY Here ░░░░░░░░ a man who has ░░░░░░░░ the Justice Department back ░░░░░░░░ Eric s father was ░░░░░░░░ immigrant who served in ░░░░░░░░ Army in World War ░░░░░░░░ only to be refused ░░░░░░░░ at lunch counters in ░░░░░░░░ nation he defended But ░░░░░░░░ and his wife raised ░░░░░░░░ son to believe that ░░░░░░░░ country s promise was ░░░░░░░░ And that son grew ░░░░░░░░ to become Attorney General ░░░░░░░░ the United States And ░░░░░░░░ s something LEWIS For ░░░░░░░░ Barack Obama the first ░░░░░░░░ American President to appoint ░░░░░░░░ first African American Attorney ░░░░░░░░ A man named Holder ░░░░░░░░ meant everything Attorney General ░░░░░░░░ had the capacity the ░░░░░░░░ to go all out ░░░░░░░░ restore the Civil Rights ░░░░░░░░ of the Department of ░░░░░░░░ to the status it ░░░░░░░░ in the early years ░░░░░░░░ Robert F Kennedy and ░░░░░░░░ was at the Department ░░░░░░░░ Justice HOLDER Well my ░░░░░░░░ in public service was ░░░░░░░░ in the election in ░░░░░░░░ when John Kennedy became ░░░░░░░░ And the role that ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy administration that Robert ░░░░░░░░ as Attorney General played ░░░░░░░░ s something that has ░░░░░░░░ been an inspiration to ░░░░░░░░ Attorney General Robert F ░░░░░░░░ sent his top deputy ░░░░░░░░ Katzenbach whose portrait hangs ░░░░░░░░ my personal office to ░░░░░░░░ stare down racial discrimination ░░░░░░░░ the schoolhouse door in ░░░░░░░░ to enforce the integration ░░░░░░░░ the University of Alabama ░░░░░░░░ was my late sister ░░░░░░░░ law Vivian Malone who ░░░░░░░░ through that University s ░░░░░░░░ on that day MALONE ░░░░░░░░ is what Eric s ░░░░░░░░ and my family have ░░░░░░░░ common that we were ░░░░░░░░ of the people that ░░░░░░░░ injustice and didn t ░░░░░░░░ accept it for what ░░░░░░░░ was but figured out ░░░░░░░░ to make it better ░░░░░░░░ change the system CLINTON ░░░░░░░░ his career Eric has ░░░░░░░░ dedicated himself to equal ░░░░░░░░ and equal opportunity under ░░░░░░░░ law for all people ░░░░░░░░ matter who they are ░░░░░░░░ the color of their ░░░░░░░░ their sexual orientation their ░░░░░░░░ or their politics He ░░░░░░░░ taken really important action ░░░░░░░░ defend voting rights when ░░░░░░░░ have been under assault ░░░░░░░░ This Attorney General was ░░░░░░░░ tireless in standing up ░░░░░░░░ voting rights and access ░░░░░░░░ one of our most ░░░░░░░░ rights as a nation ░░░░░░░░ This administration has to ░░░░░░░░ all that we possibly ░░░░░░░░ to protect the voting ░░░░░░░░ of every American in ░░░░░░░░ country LEWIS This man ░░░░░░░░ t shy away He ░░░░░░░░ to file suits to ░░░░░░░░ into places like Texas ░░░░░░░░ North Carolina and other ░░░░░░░░ around the country He ░░░░░░░░ spoke out and he ░░░░░░░░ to speak out This ░░░░░░░░ s been steadfast He ░░░░░░░░ anchored in the cause ░░░░░░░░ civil rights and social ░░░░░░░░ MALONE He saw civil ░░░░░░░░ not just as it ░░░░░░░░ it to African Americans ░░░░░░░░ as it relates to ░░░░░░░░ LGBT community HOLDER I ░░░░░░░░ issue a new policy ░░░░░░░░ that will for the ░░░░░░░░ time in history formally ░░░░░░░░ all Justice Department employees ░░░░░░░░ give lawful same sex ░░░░░░░░ full and equal recognition ░░░░░░░░ the greatest extent possible ░░░░░░░░ the law GRIFFIN Attorney ░░░░░░░░ Holder truly is the ░░░░░░░░ rights movement s Robert ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy Without Holder s ░░░░░░░░ we would not be ░░░░░░░░ we are today Today ░░░░░░░░ is gone DOMA has ░░░░░░░░ relegated to the dust ░░░░░░░░ of history in large ░░░░░░░░ because of the leadership ░░░░░░░░ the Department of Justice ░░░░░░░░ Attorney General Holder CLINTON ░░░░░░░░ worked to give all ░░░░░░░░ the faith that the ░░░░░░░░ system was on their ░░░░░░░░ He has taken really ░░░░░░░░ action to reduce the ░░░░░░░░ rate and the federal ░░░░░░░░ population at the same ░░░░░░░░ NN MALE It s ░░░░░░░░ an accident that under ░░░░░░░░ s tenure while a ░░░░░░░░ of people will point ░░░░░░░░ other facts we started ░░░░░░░░ recalibrate our sentencing laws ░░░░░░░░ in the United States ░░░░░░░░ Over the past year ░░░░░░░░ federal prison population declined ░░░░░░░░ roughly 4 800 inmates ░░░░░░░░ first decrease we ve ░░░░░░░░ in many decades This ░░░░░░░░ nothing less than historic ░░░░░░░░ He s worked to ░░░░░░░░ our prison system to ░░░░░░░░ the choices we make ░░░░░░░░ prosecutions And America has ░░░░░░░░ better for it OBAMA ░░░░░░░░ his watch federal courts ░░░░░░░░ successfully prosecuted hundreds of ░░░░░░░░ cases proving that the ░░░░░░░░ s finest justice system ░░░░░░░░ fully capable of delivering ░░░░░░░░ for the world s ░░░░░░░░ wanted terrorists LEAHY Eric ░░░░░░░░ said We believe in ░░░░░░░░ justice system We believe ░░░░░░░░ it and we will ░░░░░░░░ it We will show ░░░░░░░░ rest of the world ░░░░░░░░ are not hiding and ░░░░░░░░ We are not afraid ░░░░░░░░ these terrorists We will ░░░░░░░░ them And he has ░░░░░░░░ time successfully MALONE I ░░░░░░░░ at the end of ░░░░░░░░ tenure if Eric walks ░░░░░░░░ from this job and ░░░░░░░░ says that there was ░░░░░░░░ one thing that he ░░░░░░░░ able to fix or ░░░░░░░░ make the playing field ░░░░░░░░ level for all Americans ░░░░░░░░ I think he would ░░░░░░░░ felt like he did ░░░░░░░░ good job LEWIS We ░░░░░░░░ going to miss him ░░░░░░░░ re going to miss ░░░░░░░░ leadership his vision his ░░░░░░░░ I love the man ░░░░░░░░ Historians will write about ░░░░░░░░ critical role of this ░░░░░░░░ General LEAHY I ve ░░░░░░░░ here 40 years nobody ░░░░░░░░ been a better Attorney ░░░░░░░░ than Eric Holder s ░░░░░░░░ ON SCREEN GRAPHICS Key ░░░░░░░░ During AG Holder s ░░░░░░░░ First simultaneous drop in ░░░░░░░░ and incarceration rate in ░░░░░░░░ years Largest mafia takedown ░░░░░░░░ U S history Depoliticized ░░░░░░░░ s hiring practices Recommended ░░░░░░░░ no longer defend DOMA ░░░░░░░░ federal benefits for same ░░░░░░░░ married couples Required videotaping ░░░░░░░░ all federal investigations Strenghtened ░░░░░░░░ s criminal discovery rules ░░░░░░░░ violent crime prosecutions in ░░░░░░░░ Country Most constitutional policing ░░░░░░░░ in U S History ░░░░░░░░ hate crime prosecutions in ░░░░░░░░ a decade Historic investments ░░░░░░░░ reentry programs Restricted mandatory ░░░░░░░░ for nonviolent drug offenses ░░░░░░░░ hundreds of terrorism cases ░░░░░░░░ BP criminally responsible in ░░░░░░░░ Oil Spill Disaster Provided ░░░░░░░░ to hire thousands of ░░░░░░░░ police officers Modernized DOJ ░░░░░░░░ media guidelines Record penalties ░░░░░░░░ banks involved in financial ░░░░░░░░ Largest recoveries under False ░░░░░░░░ Act in history Improved ░░░░░░░░ to gun background check ░░░░░░░░ Record number of human ░░░░░░░░ cases Sued to protect ░░░░░░░░ rights in states Protected ░░░░░░░░ defendants right to counsel ░░░░░░░░ defended EPA s authority ░░░░░░░░ regulate greenhouse HOLDER I ░░░░░░░░ that I will leave ░░░░░░░░ the sense that we ░░░░░░░░ accomplished a great deal ░░░░░░░░ the past six years ░░░░░░░░ I am going to ░░░░░░░░ proud of that proud ░░░░░░░░ the men and women ░░░░░░░░ have worked with me ░░░░░░░░ at the Justice Department ░░░░░░░░ So I just want ░░░░░░░░ say thank you Eric ░░░░░░░░ you to the men ░░░░░░░░ the women of the ░░░░░░░░ Department who work day ░░░░░░░░ and out for the ░░░░░░░░ people We could not ░░░░░░░░ more grateful for everything ░░░░░░░░ you ve done not ░░░░░░░░ for me and the ░░░░░░░░ but for our country ░░░░░░░░