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Eric Holder: Jeff Sessions' policy 'dumb on crime' Washington Times In this May 15, 2013, file photo, President Barack Obama sits with Attorney General Eric Holder during the 32nd annual the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill in Washington. Obama has announced plans to improve Democrats ... Former Attorney General Eric Holder blasts Sessions memo as 'dumb on crime'Washington Examiner 'Dumb on Crime': Fmr AG Eric Holder Slams Jeff Sessions' New Prosecution PolicyLawNewz Former Attorney General Eric Holder calls new drug prosecutions policy 'dumb on crime'The Week Magazine Newsmax -Fox News -The Hill -Washington Post all 503 news articles »

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Eric Holder: Jeff Sessions' policy 'dumb on crime' - Washington Times

Former Attorney General Eric Holder / AP

BY: Jack Heretik May 11, 2017 11:09 am

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein cited Eric Holder, who served as attorney general under former President Barack Obama, in the letter he sent Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in which he recommended firing then-FBI Director James Comey.

Rosenstein's letter, which Sessions referenced when he recommended that President Trump fire Comey, criticized the former FBI director's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

"I cannot defend the director's handling of the conclusion of the investigation of Secretary Clinton's emails, and I do not understand his refusal to accept the nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken," Rosenstein's memo stated.

Rosenstein cited multiple former Justice Department heads from both Republican and Democratic administrations, including Holder, who made critical comments about Comey's conduct during the email probe.

In his letter, Rosenstein quoted Holder criticizing Comey's actions for negatively affecting "public trust" in the Justice Department and the FBI, CNS News noted.

"Eric Holder said that the director's decision was incorrect,'" Rosenstein wrote,referencing Comey's actions as the Clinton email probe was conducted. "It violated long-standingJustice Department policies and traditions. And it ran counter to guidance that I put in place four years ago laying out the proper way to conduct investigations during an election season.'"

"Holder concluded that the director broke with these fundamental principles' and negatively affected public trust in both the Justice Department and the FBI,'" Rosenstein added.

Democrats were critical of Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation even though she was not prosecuted. The FBI launched the probe to determine whether Clinton mishandled classified material over her private email server while serving as secretary of state.

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Eric Holder: Comey 'Violated Long-Standing Justice Department Policies and Traditions' - Washington Free Beacon

Attorney General Jeff Sessions' office sent out a letter late Thursday to the nation's federal prosecutors instructing them to pursue the most serious charges possible against most criminal suspects.

The move will send more people to prison and for much longer terms by triggering mandatory minimum sentences.

Officials at the Department of Justice said the new guidelines are a direct rebuttal of policies implemented under President Obamas attorney general, Eric Holder.

The memo is already being referred to as the Sessions Memo. The 94 U.S. attorneys were instructed in the memo to charge and pursue the most serious and readily provable offense.

These cases often carry the longest sentences.The memo also brings back into effect mandatory minimum sentences, which are expected to increase prosecutions and the prison population.

Holder, who served under the Obama administration, implemented the Smart on Crime drug sentencing policy that focused on not incarcerating people who committed low level non-violent crimes.

The Obama administration used the Smart on Crime policy to combat what they believed was a high number of prosecutions of non-violent drug offenders. DOJ officials call it a false narrative and say unless a gun is involved, most of those cases arent charged period.

Officials say Holders Smart on Crime policy convoluted the process, and left prosecutors applying the law unevenly, which they said is not Justice.

Critics of the shift say it will revive the worst aspects of the drug war. But Sessions has said a spike in violence in some big cities shows the need for a return to tougher tactics.

Fox News' Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Sessions' office releases memo to all 94 US attorneys calling for reversal of Holder-era policy - Fox News

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is not the first exec to deal with sexual harassment and sexism issues. And hes not the first to be accused of stealing technology. Hes also not the first to anger customers through cloddish statements. And hes not the first to face significant doubts about his ability to manage a fast-growing startup.

But he is the very first speaker in the 15 years we have been putting on our tech and media events to cancel his interview due to the many embarrassing issues at his company. In this case, because the report from former Attorney General Eric Holder on Ubers culture and management problems has been delayed until the week of Code at the end of May.

Due to the delay of the Holder review, Travis is unable to attend this years conference, said an Uber spokesperson. We have been told that Kalanick needs to be with employees at Ubers offices in Northern California and cannot manage to travel an hour by plane to Southern California to appear at the conference, as he had promised.

We booked Kalanick before the explosive publication of a blog post by former employee Susan Fowler on pernicious sexual harassment and sexism issues at the car-hailing company. But, even after that, Kalanick confirmed his appearance, allowing us to announce it.

Last week, Kalanicks reps started to waver and then said he could not attend. In his place, they have offered and we have accepted director Arianna Huffington, who has been leading the investigation for the Uber board.

Since we also wanted to talk about the business, we asked for venture capitalist and Uber board member Bill Gurley to join her, as he has been deeply involved in Ubers operations since its founding and has opined publicly about it until recently. He has thus far declined the Code invitation. Gurley also did not respond to a text and an email he was sent, which he has never done before.

Also a no so far per Uber were requests for key Kalanick colleague and SVP Emil Michael, board chairman Garrett Camp and board member David Bonderman. One possible person that Uber has said might be able to join Huffington is human resources head Liane Hornsey, but that is currently unconfirmed until closer to the event.

In other words, replacing Kalanick and manning up to address serious gender issues at Uber when the men could not bring themselves to, could be two women.

Yeah, classic Silicon Valley, and all you need to know to understand the problems at Uber.

But understand this, too: We are obviously surprised and disappointed, because this does not happen. In fact, we have had a lot of tech and media executives who have been under pressure appear at our Code and also All Things D events over the years and none has canceled due to those moments of crisis.

Microsofts Bill Gates came despite the Vista disaster; Apples Steve Jobs came despite the stolen iPhone prototype debacle; various Yahoo chiefs came despite heaps of bad publicity and takeover rumors; Steve Case came soon after the utter humiliation of AOLs failed merger with Time Warner. Even Ralph de la Vega of AT&T came during controversial network failures.

And then there was Groupons Andrew Mason, who managed to make everyone laugh while answering questions despite the deep troubles at his company. (By the way, Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes appeared at the Wall Street Journal conference just days after the Journal published a devastating investigation of her business.)

We should note that there have been two speakers in the past who did not attend our event after committing to do so, but both cases were due to sudden and serious family illnesses. They are Zyngas Mark Pincus and Comcasts Brian Roberts, who then sent his No. 2 Steve Burke in his place.

Kalanick does not have a COO as yet, as most know, and has been on a search for one amid attrition and also some forced departures of top Uber execs.

We get it, he has his hands full and employee concerns are critical now. But avoiding tough questions from tough interviewers is not a good sign. Theres no doubt that Kalanick owes the public an explanation in his own words and were eager to hear it when he deigns to give it. Its just too bad that he wont keep his commitment to sit in our red chairs and discuss Ubers issues there as he said he would.

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Uber's Travis Kalanick has canceled his Code Conference interview ... - Recode

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson at the National Action Network Convention on April 26, 2017, in New York City (Aaron J. / RedCarpetImages.net for NAN)

The Rev. Al Sharptons annual power play, the National Action Network Convention in New York City, is back, and, as promised, the slate of high-powered speakers have brought the pain to Trumps front door.

As usual, the convention features the cream of the crop of political leaders, activists, media pundits and intellectualswith celebrities thrown in for good measure.

At last years 25th-anniversary convention, both Democratic candidates for president, Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, appeared. President Barack Obama has spoken here twice. This year, Sanders is making a return (on Friday), and he is joined by heavy hitters such as Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, N.J.; Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee; the Mothers of the Movement, including the mothers of Eric Garner, Trayvon Marin, Walter Scott and Sean Bell; and a gala dinner honoring Harry Belafonte.

On Wednesday, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who led a Justice Department that investigated many police departments throughout the nation and implemented reforms, was the first plenary speaker.

No justice, no peace, roared Sharpton as he rose to kick off the event, held at the Sheraton Hotel in midtown Manhattan April 26-29.

Were a few blocks south of Trump Tower and a few blocks away from Fox News, so we are in the middle of it, Sharpton quipped. But he promised that for the next three-and-a-half days, the series of panels and discussions will formulate a plan of action to deal with the current administration.

The reason Im not afraid of Donald Trump is that we already beat him twice with Obama, said Sharpton. And I think we can get things done, even within this era.

Sharpton then introduced Holder, who began his message plainly.

The most basic American rights, the right to vote, is under siege, said Holder.

Holder spoke of a movement afoot to try to suppress the vote, aided and abetted by the Shelby County v. Holder Supreme Court decision in 2013 that gutted the Voting Rights Act. He spoke directly to Trump, saying that efforts to prevent voter fraud is really voter suppression.

It is more likely that a person will be struck by lightning than impersonate another person at the polls, said Holder. He then cited a study by an expert that found only 31 cases out of 1 billion ballots cast in the United States from 2000 to 2014 in which someone tried to commit voter fraud.

The restrictive voting laws that have been passed really combat a nonexistent problemwith serious negative collateral impacts, he noted.

Now, instead of ensuring the integrity of the voting process, [restrictive voter laws] actually do the opposite by keeping certain groups of people away from the polls, said Holder. And to quote our current president, that is how elections are rigged.

Holder enumerated the many instances of Republican-controlled state and county legislatures going on record to say how making voter ID a part of the voting process can help them win elections.

Now, lets be frank, he said to cheers. Voter fraud wasnt an issue until people of color started casting ballots in record numbers connected to the candidacy and presidency of Barack Obama.

Holder also ran down several ideas that could help turn this insidious tide, including using technology through which citizens can automatically be registered to vote at places like the DMV, and, because so many Americans move each year, making voter registrations portable.

He also said to keep an eye on the current Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions: Stay focused on a Department of Justice that I fear will stay focused on phantom crimes and take us back to an era of mass incarceration and will not stand for the right to vote.

Now is not the time to retreat in the face of a partisan assault on the most basic of American rights, he continued. The battle to ensure the voting rights of all Americans is, I believe, a defining one. It is not only a legal issue; its a moral imperative.

Watch Holder and Perez here:

For more information about the convention, which is free (except for certain events), go to the National Action Network.

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Eric Holder Rails Against Voter Suppression at NAN Convention ... - The Root