Former Obama attorney general Eric Holder appeared on MS NOW on Sunday and demanded the removal of Trump administration officials from the Justice Department. His comments focused on DOJ Civil Rights official Harmeet Dhillon and other officials like her, as reported [1] by The Gateway Pundit.
Holder did not merely criticize current DOJ personnel or their decisions. He called for Democrats to remove them once the party returns to power, making clear that he wants a broad personnel purge inside the department.
“They got to go. They just got to go. This is not a time for timidity,” Eric Holder said. The blunt declaration left little doubt about the course he wants Democrats to take when they regain control.
MS NOW agreed with Holder during the appearance and helped promote his message. Rather than challenge the former attorney general over his sweeping demand, the network provided him with a platform to make the case for clearing out Trump DOJ officials.
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Holder specifically lashed out at Dhillon, who serves as a DOJ Civil Rights official, along with others in the Justice Department whom he views similarly. His prescription was simple and aggressive: Remove all of them when Democrats return to power.
The rhetoric also echoed ominous messages Holder directed toward officials in the DOJ and FBI during President Trump’s first administration. Those earlier statements encouraged career personnel to remain prepared and strong while their actions and integrity faced questions.
In June 2017, shortly after Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel, Holder issued one such message. “To the career men & women at DOJ/FBI: your actions and integrity will be unfairly questioned. Be prepared, be strong. Duty. Honor. Country,” Holder said.
To the career men & women at DOJ/FBI: your actions and integrity will be unfairly questioned. Be prepared, be strong. Duty. Honor. Country.
— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) June 30, 2017 [2]
Holder later returned to the same theme with another message of support for DOJ and FBI personnel. “I said about 8 months ago that the actions and integrity of the men & women at DOJ/FBI would be unfairly questioned. It’s happening. And it will get worse. Be prepared, be strong. You have the support of millions committed to truth, justice and the defense of this nation,” Holder previously said.
I said about 8 months ago that the actions and integrity of the men & women at DOJ/FBI would be unfairly questioned. It’s happening. And it will get worse. Be prepared, be strong. You have the support of millions committed to truth, justice and the defense of this nation
— Eric Holder (@EricHolder) March 18, 2018 [3]
Those statements from Trump’s first administration urged officials to stand firm amid scrutiny. His latest remarks go considerably further by openly calling for officials associated with the current Trump Justice Department to be thrown out when Democrats regain power.
The demand is especially rich given Holder’s own record as attorney general. Holder ran the illegal Fast and Furious gun-running operation and was held in criminal contempt of Congress, leaving him with no room to lecture others about restoring order at the DOJ.
Yet Holder used his MS NOW appearance to present a purge as the necessary Democratic response. His language rejected caution and made clear that he believes timidity should have no place in the next Democratic administration’s handling of Justice Department personnel.
The message was not confined to criticism of a policy, case, or single official. Holder targeted Dhillon and others like her, while declaring that DOJ officials must go after Democrats take power again.
That is a striking position from a former attorney general who previously invoked duty, honor, country, truth, justice, and national defense when addressing career personnel. Now, his message to officials serving under Trump is considerably less lofty: Democrats should show them the door.
Holder’s appearance offered a preview of what he believes Democrats should do with control of the Justice Department. MS NOW gave that argument a friendly reception, helping him promote an unmistakable call for a sweeping purge.