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"The creation of this new federal commission on election integrity by this administration is another frightening attempt to suppress the votes of certain Americans," Holder told attendees of the NAACP National Convention in Baltimore. "Make no mistake, this commission, led by a fact-challenged zealot, will come up with bogus reasons why further restrictions should be placed on the right to vote."

While Holder did not name him directly, the commission is led by Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State who is an advocate for tougher voting restrictions. Four Democratic lawmakers last week wrote to Vice President Mike Pence requesting that Kobach be removed from the commission.

Since its creation in May, Trump's commission investigating voter fraud has been met by charges from Democrats and voting rights advocates that it could lead to voter suppression. The commission's request that state election officials turn over data and personal information on the nation's 200 million voters also sparked bipartisan outrage with many states saying they would not comply.

Trump has defended the mission of the commission, however, telling the group at its first meeting Wednesday, "we want to make America great again. We have to protect the integrity of the vote and our voters."

Holder said that the right to vote in the United States is "under siege" and must be protected.

"At a time when we should be expanding opportunities to cast a ballot, there is a movement in America that attempts to make it more difficult, to suppress the vote," Holder said.

He also pushed back at the President's oft-repeated claim that 3 million to 5 million people may have voted illegally in the 2016 election, suggesting that it is more likely that a person would be struck by lightening than that they would impersonate another person at the polls.

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Eric Holder: Trump voter fraud commission led by 'fact-challenged zealot' - CNN International

Former Attorney General Eric Holder recently weighed in on reports that President Donald Trump has considered firing Robert Mueller as the FBIs special counsel.

Trump cannot define or constrain Mueller investigation. If he tries to do so this creates issues of constitutional and criminal dimension, Holder wrote on Twitter.

Holders comments come after the Washington Post reported earlier this week that Trumps team of attorneys are exploring ways to limit and undercut Muellers investigation. Mueller has been tasked by the Department of Justice to lead the bureaus investigation into Russian interference and allegations that Trumps campaign may have colluded with Russian operatives.

Many Republicans and top Trump supporters are unhappy with Muellers investigation and especially unhappy with the team of lawyers Mueller has hired to assist him in the investigation, many of which have ties to Democrats.

Critics say that because of this and other factors, Muellers probe will not be objective.

Technically speaking, however, Holders tweet isnt exactly correct. According to Business Insider, who spoke with former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal, Trump has several legal maneuvers that would help take Muellers heat off of him.

Trump could either instruct deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to fire or limit Mueller, or Trump could repeal a set of special counsel regulations adopted in 1999 to fire Mueller himself. Neither of these options are favorable, however, and an attempt to remove Mueller could get the ball rolling on impeachment proceedings as they are what began former President Richard Nixons fall, Katyal said.

Trumps other option would be to work out a deal with Rosenstein to rein in Muellers power. This option is least likely to carry political ramifications.

However, many found Holders attempt to lecture Trump about the law pretty rich. After all, Holder was deemed responsible for Operation Fast and Furious, a gun-running operation that led to a Border Patrol being shot by an American firearm.

Holder was even held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to the case during the course of a congressional investigation into the operation.

People were quick to remind Holder of his hypocritical past:

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Eric Holder lectures Trump about Constitution instantly gets fact checked over 'Fast & Furious' past - TheBlaze.com

Congress is broken.

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a Congress that would faithfully represent and be accountable to its constituents. In 1788, James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 57: Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the chords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people.

Today, Congress has become unbound to the great mass of the people. The House recently passed a health care bill that only 16% of the public supports, according to a recent poll. A narrow majority in the House rushed to pass the bill without any meaningful debate and the Senate is considering similar legislation. Whether its healthcare or countless other issues, voters want one thing, but Congress does the exact opposite or nothing.

How did Congress become so untethered? Looking at how the US House districts were drawn gives us great insight.

Extreme partisan gerrymandering reached new levels during the 2011 redistricting process. Propelled by precision targeting technology and special interest funding, Republicans drew maps in state after state that packed Democratic voters into bizarrely shaped districts and protected Republican incumbents. Despite winning fewer than half of all votes for the House, Republicans still walked away with 55% of House seats in 2016.

With fewer competitive congressional seats, members of Congress are incentivized to serve narrow, partisan interests. This creates a Congress driven by primary party politics and ideological extremism, not one accountable to the will of the majority of voters.

Unfortunately, the American people are living with the result of this broken Congress: increased partisanship, government shutdowns, the birth of the Freedom Caucus, and a Congress that refuses to hold President Donald Trump accountable.

Thats not only bad for Democrats, its bad for democracy.

So how do we go about fixing our democracy? We know from our history that the future is built by those who show up and by those who engage, resist, and overcome. That has been the story of America from the framers who planned a revolution, to the abolitionists who embraced emancipation; from the workers who fought for a decent wage, to the women who reached for the ballot; from the marchers who demanded their civil rights, to the activists who secured marriage equality for all of us. Today, once again, millions of people of strong will and good faith are asking what they can do for the country they love.

Thats why, this January, we launched the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) in order to draw district lines in a fair manner.

With the NDRC, Americans will have a chance to fight back, regain our democratic voice, and fix our democracy. After the data from the 2020 census is released, states around the country will draw new maps that will shape our Congress for the next decade. Every state has its own rules for drawing Congressional districts, but most rely on collaboration between the governor and the state legislature.

The NDRC is a new effort to create more representative districts with a targeted, state-by-state strategy. Our strategy involves four key components: overturning illegal gerrymandering in the courts; winning critical state elections; investing in ballot initiatives on redistricting; and building the infrastructure for the 2021 redistricting process.

Weve already seen major progress. Over the last several years, the Supreme Court and other federal courts have struck down illegal gerrymandering in North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. And more states may soon follow, with ongoing cases in Texas and Wisconsin. These cases have already produced fairer maps and led to two new African-American members of Congress in 2016.

We know theres a long path ahead. But the work of ending illegal gerrymandering is critical to the future of our democracy. We have an opportunity and an obligation to fix a broken Congress and to build the kind of nation that speaks with our voice, the voice of the diverse and compassionate community that America has been, that we are, and that we can be once again. It will be up to all of us to embrace that challenge in the service of the more perfect Union that all Americans deserve.

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Eric Holder: This is how you fix a broken Congress - Gant Daily

Our Founding Fathers envisioned a Congress that would faithfully represent and be accountable to its constituents. In 1788, James Madison wrote in "Federalist No. 57:" "Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the chords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people." Today, Congress has become unbound to the "great mass of the people." The House recently passed a health care bill that only 16% of the public supports, according to a recent poll. A narrow majority in the House rushed to pass the bill without any meaningful debate and the Senate is considering similar legislation. Whether it's healthcare or countless other issues, voters want one thing, but Congress does the exact opposite -- or nothing.

How did Congress become so untethered? Looking at how the US House districts were drawn gives us great insight.

With fewer competitive congressional seats, members of Congress are incentivized to serve narrow, partisan interests. This creates a Congress driven by primary party politics and ideological extremism, not one accountable to the will of the majority of voters.

That's not only bad for Democrats, it's bad for democracy.

So how do we go about fixing our democracy? We know from our history that the future is built by those who show up and by those who engage, resist, and overcome. That has been the story of America -- from the framers who planned a revolution, to the abolitionists who embraced emancipation; from the workers who fought for a decent wage, to the women who reached for the ballot; from the marchers who demanded their civil rights, to the activists who secured marriage equality for all of us. Today, once again, millions of people of strong will and good faith are asking what they can do for the country they love.

The NDRC is a new effort to create more representative districts with a targeted, state-by-state strategy. Our strategy involves four key components: overturning illegal gerrymandering in the courts; winning critical state elections; investing in ballot initiatives on redistricting; and building the infrastructure for the 2021 redistricting process.

We know there's a long path ahead. But the work of ending illegal gerrymandering is critical to the future of our democracy. We have an opportunity -- and an obligation -- to fix a broken Congress and to build the kind of nation that speaks with our voice, the voice of the diverse and compassionate community that America has been, that we are, and that we can be once again. It will be up to all of us to embrace that challenge in the service of the more perfect Union that all Americans deserve.

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Eric Holder: This is how you fix a broken Congress (Opinion) - CNN ... - CNN

Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama, warned President Trump against trying to hinder special prosecutor Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election after it was reported Thursday evening that Trump's legal team is considering it.

"There is NO basis to question the integrity of Mueller or those serving with him in the special counsel's office. And no conflicts either," Holder tweeted.

He added, "Trump cannot define or constrain Mueller investigation. If he tries to do so this creates issues of constitutional and criminal dimension."

The Washington Post reported that Trump has asked his advisers about the scope of his pardoning power, including for aides, family members, and even himself in connection to Mueller's Russia investigation. His legal team is also reportedly examining ways to build a conflict-of-interest case against Mueller.

Mueller's investigation, along with several congressional probes, is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to the Trump campaign. The special prosecutor's team also reportedly may be checking whether Trump obstructed justice, and on Thursday Bloomberg reported that the probe is parsing through Trump's business dealings.

Asked by the New York Times on Wednesday if Mueller diving into his personal finances would be a step too far, Trump said, "I would say yes." Though he didn't say what he would do about it, he did add, "I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia."

Trump and his allies have also expressed concern about some people in the Mueller team who had donated to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who was Trump's Democratic opponent in the 2016 election.

Mueller was appointed by the Justice Department to run the federal Russia probe after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

Amid the fallout Thursday evening, the spokesman for Trump's outside legal team, Mark Corallo, resigned. He reportedly had opposed publicly defaming Mueller and became unhappy with the discord in and around the White House.

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Eric Holder: Trump hindering Mueller investigation 'creates issues of constitutional and criminal dimension' - Washington Examiner