OPINION:
Eric Holder Jr., who announced Thursday he was stepping down, proved to be a mixed bag in his nearly six-year tenure as U.S. attorney general.
Our nation’s first black attorney general, he proved to be a leader in promoting civil rights, racial equality and minority reforms, even visiting Ferguson, Mo., during its recent racial strife.
He also was a much-needed advocate of long-overdue prison- and criminal-justice system reforms, where many inmates and defendants are minorities, and was a strong proponent of voting rights and homosexual marriage.
However, Mr. Holder dubiously held the honor of being the first attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress in U.S. history as a result of the controversial “Fast and Furious” program, in which he refused to hand over embarrassing and incriminating documents in this gun-trafficking scandal.
Also, he was disappointing in his record regarding privacy and civil liberties, especially pertaining to national-security matters.
A high-ranking Republican congressman called him “the most divisive attorney general in history.”
Political scandals and controversies plagued him during much of his time in office, including the infamous IRS scandal.
KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN
Huntington Beach, Calif.
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