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Uber is bringing on former U.S. Attorney General Eric HolderEric H. HolderUber taps Eric Holder to investigate sexual harassment claims Ellison needles Perez for 'unverifiable' claim of DNC support With party in trouble, Dems hit voting laws MORE to "conduct an independent review" of sexual harassment claims made by a former employee.

"I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick wrote in a memo to the staff obtained by The Hill. ABC Newsfirst reported on Holder's hiring.

"What is driving me through all this is a determination that we take whats happened as an opportunity to heal wounds of the past and set a new standard for justice in the workplace," Kalanick said in the memo.

Arianna Huffington, an Uber board member, is also taking part in the review.

The announcement comes days after a former Uber reliability engineer, Susan Fowler, wrote a blog post claiming that her complaints about being sexually harassed by one of the managers over online chats went unanswered.

Upper management told me that he was a high performer (i.e. had stellar performance reviews from his superiors) and they wouldnt feel comfortable punishing him for what was probably just an innocent mistake on his part," Fowler wrote on Sunday.

After reading Fowler's blog, Kalanick denounced the behavior described, calling it "abhorrent" and "against everything we believe in."

"Anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is OK will be fired," he added.

According to the memo, Uber plans to have an "all hands" meeting on Tuesday to discuss the event and the appropriate next steps.

Here is the full memo from Uber.

Team,

Its been a tough 24 hours. I know the company is hurting, and understand everyone has been waiting for more information on where things stand and what actions we are going to take.

First, Eric Holder, former US Attorney General under President Obama, and Tammy Albarran -- both partners at the leading law firm Covington & Burling-- will conduct an independent review into the specific issues relating to the work place environment raised by Susan Fowler, as well as diversity and inclusion at Uber more broadly. Joining them will be Arianna Huffington, who sits on Ubers board, Liane Hornsey, our recently hired Chief Human Resources Officer, and Angela Padilla, our Associate General Counsel. I expect them to conduct this review in short order.

Second, Arianna is flying out to join me and Liane at our all hands meetingtomorrowto discuss whats happened and next steps. Arianna and Liane will also be doing smaller group and one-on-one listening sessions to get your feedback directly.

Third, there have been many questions about the gender diversity of Ubers technology teams. If you look across our engineering, product management, and scientist roles, 15.1% of employees are women and this has not changed substantively in the last year. As points of reference, Facebook is at 17%, Google at 18% and Twitter is at 10%. Liane and I will be working to publish a broader diversity report for the company in the coming months.

I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do. Every Uber employee should be proud of the culture we have and what we will build together over time. What is driving me through all this is a determination that we take whats happened as an opportunity to heal wounds of the past and set a new standard for justice in the workplace. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization, where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice.

Thanks,

Travis

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Uber taps Eric Holder to investigate sexual harassment claims - The Hill

Uber is moving fast to try and quell backlash from a damning blog post that alleged the company suffers from rampant sexism and failed at every turn to solve the issue. According to an internal email sent to Uber employees this afternoon, CEO Travis Kalanick says his company has brought on former US Attorney General Eric Holder to oversee an independent review of the issues raised by former employee Susan Fowler, whose blog post on Sunday about her work experience went viral and resulted in widespread outrage.

Fowler, who began working at Uber in November 2015 as a site reliability engineer, says she was subjected to sexual harassment from her manager on her very first day. She also describes in great detail how Ubers HR department failed at virtually every step of the way to take her complaints seriously and reprimand or fire the harasser, noting how her superiors even went so far as to suggest she would be fired if she continued complaining about abuse. The #DeleteUber hashtag, which sprung up in the aftermath of Trumps immigration ban, has already begun trending once more in response to Fowlers post.

Holder will work with Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and an Uber board member, alongside Ubers HR chief Liane Hornsey and Angela Padilla, an in-house lawyer. Uber critics are already making the obvious point that a review featuring a board member, the head of HR, and an in-house lawyer is not exactly independent.

@MikeIsaac how can an independent review into HR be joined by the head of HR, an in-house lawyer, and a board member/

Even Holder, despite his history, is not entirely an outsider. Uber retains his law firm, Covington & Burling, for advice on safety issues. Holder even advocated for Uber last summer by sending letters to officials to drop policies mandating fingerprint-based background checks for drivers. Holders former chief of staff and Covington employee, Margaret Richardson, also sits on Ubers safety advisory board.

Kalanick doesnt seem to take note of this fact in his email to employees. He does, however, reiterate Ubers abysmal gender diversity statistics and pledge to ferry the company through this crisis and ultimately address these issues. I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do, Kalanick writes. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization, where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice.

Here is Kalanicks email in full, as obtained by Recode:

Team,

Its been a tough 24 hours. I know the company is hurting, and understand everyone has been waiting for more information on where things stand and what actions we are going to take.

First, Eric Holder, former US Attorney General under President Obama, and Tammy Albarran -- both partners at the leading law firm Covington & Burling-- will conduct an independent review into the specific issues relating to the work place environment raised by Susan Fowler, as well as diversity and inclusion at Uber more broadly. Joining them will be Arianna Huffington, who sits on Ubers board, Liane Hornsey, our recently hired Chief Human Resources Officer, and Angela Padilla, our Associate General Counsel. I expect them to conduct this review in short order.

Second, Arianna is flying out to join me and Liane at our all hands meeting tomorrow to discuss whats happened and next steps. Arianna and Liane will also be doing smaller group and one-on-one listening sessions to get your feedback directly.

Third, there have been many questions about the gender diversity of Ubers technology teams. If you look across our engineering, product management, and scientist roles, 15.1% of employees are women and this has not changed substantively in the last year. As points of reference, Facebook is at 17%, Google at 18% and Twitter is at 10%. Liane and I will be working to publish a broader diversity report for the company in the coming months.

I believe in creating a workplace where a deep sense of justice underpins everything we do. Every Uber employee should be proud of the culture we have and what we will build together over time. What is driving me through all this is a determination that we take whats happened as an opportunity to heal wounds of the past and set a new standard for justice in the workplace. It is my number one priority that we come through this a better organization, where we live our values and fight for and support those who experience injustice.

Thanks,

Travis

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Uber's review of sexism allegations will be run by Eric Holder and some Uber employees - The Verge

Former U.S. Attorney General is surprising many in Democrat circles by seemingly defending Alabamas Jeff Sessions, who has been labeled as an enemy of the left. Holders message: Give the new A.G. a chance.

During a speaking event at the University at Buffalo last week, Holder disagreed that Sessions carried extreme positions.

It seems you ought to give people a chance, unless theyre wholly unqualified, Holder said, according to the Buffalo News. He may end up surprising us and he maybe will say, This is who I always was, and I may end up saying, Well Ive seen growth then.'

Unlike others on the left, Holder did not oppose then-Senator Sessions nomination as Attorney General. He added that he planned to be sparing in criticism.

I know how tough the job is, he said. I know how tough the decisions are.

Since President Trump announced Sessions as his pick to lead the Justice Department, he had been pelted by debunked attacks questioning his record on civil rights. During the Buffalo event, Holder repeated some of the accusations against Sessions, claiming that he thought the newly-sworn in Attorney General might cross some red lines on voting rights.

Prior to being voted in as Attorney General by his Senate colleagues, African-American Alabamians from both sides of the aisle were quick to testify in favor of Sessions character.

Jesse Seroyer, a former U.S. Marshall from Montgomery, was one witness who described Sessions as willing to do what was right for all the people of Alabama. During a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill, he described the former Alabama Senators dedication to fairness, and pushed back against those who painted Sessions in a negative light based solely off news reports.

I did not learn these things from a political press conference or any website. I know Jeff Sessions as the man, he continued.

The citizens deserve a good and honest person whose going to give all he has to ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law. But his goodness as a man, and his honesty as a man speaks for itself, he added.

Sessions served in the United States Senate since 1997, and prior to that was a US Attorney and Alabama Attorney General. He was the first U.S. Senator to endorse now-President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and was confirmed for the post on February 8.

Read the original here:
Jeff Sessions defended by an unlikely source: Eric Holder - Yellowhammer News

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With the upcoming change in administrations, we expect that there will be extraordinary challenges for California in the uncertain times ahead,California Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de LenandCalifornia Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon wrote in a statement Wednesday.

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The Legislature will work with the Governor and our next Attorney General to protect Californias economy and our sensible policies on climate change, health care, civil rights and immigration, the statement says. The Legislature has retained the services of an expert legal team from the nationally-renowned Covington & Burling law firm, led byformer United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr.

Holder, who left the Obama administration in 2015, will serve as outside counsel to the Legislature, advising us in our efforts to resist any attempts to roll back the progress California has made.

I am honored that the Legislature chose Covington to serve as its legal adviser as it considers how to respond to potential changes in federal law that could impact Californias residents and policy priorities, Mr. Holder said in a statement, the New York Timesreports.I am confident that our expertise across a wide array of federal legal and regulatory issues will be a great resource to the Legislature.

California lawmakers decision to tap Holder, a lifelong Democrat, seems fitting given his public criticism of Trump.

In October, Holder called then-Republican nominee Trump dangerous for implying he mayprosecute Hillary Clinton for using a private email server without permission while she was Secretary of State, and destroying tens of thousands of emails on the server.

Holder called FBI Director James Comeys re-opening of Clintons private email case a mistake, and implied Trumps election was rigged because of voter suppression.

But perhaps more troubling is that theCovington & Burling law firm, of whichHolder is partner, has a history of punishing Republicans and protecting Democrats.

Holders tenure in the Obama White House was plagued by scandal, a fact not lost on one California lawmaker.

It is not surprising that California Democrats would hire someone with a record of lawlessness to represent them, Assemblyman Travis Allens wrote in a statement, responding to what he called the California Democrats Fast and Furious hiring of Holder.

Eric Holders major accomplishments as Attorney General was allowing illegal gun running into Mexico with Fast and Furious and then being held in contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the investigation, said Allen. The goal of the California Democrats is clear: an open border with no restrictions on human traffickers, gun runners and drug smugglers. Eric Holder has the record to help them accomplish this goal.

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter:@JeromeEHudson

Continued here:
California Hires Eric Holder to Lead Legal Fight Against Trump

Holder discusses early childhood, safe spaces and free speech By Troy Wachala / The Spectrum

EricHolder spoke as the 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Keynote Speaker as a part of UBs Distinguished Speaker Series on Thursday night.

Eric Holders biggest fear growing up was Raymond Ellis, the neighborhood thug.

That threat growing up of violence [when] going to the park to play basketball, to play softball or baseball was always that thing growing up in your subconscious, Holder said. Youre afraid about running into somebody or something and I wasnt a fighter. I wasnt the guy who was taking anyone on. I always tried to talk my way out of stuff.

Holder, the 82nd U.S. Attorney General and first black Attorney General, grew up in a lower-middle class neighborhood in Queens, NY with parents who emigrated from Barbados.

When Holder heard that Ellis was shot and killed in a robbery attempt a few blocks away from his house, his fear turned into bravery.

His childhood always reminded him how other children of color felt every day. Once he became attorney general, he knew that his primary responsibility was public safety.

[I had to make sure that] the child living in South Central Los Angeles, Chicago or some place in New York, didnt have that same fear that might've had an impact on his or her ability to maximize their potential. I tried never ever to forget that. Holder said.

Holder spoke as the 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Keynote Speaker as a part of UBs Distinguished Speaker Series on Thursday night. Holder told several jokes throughout the night, often sounding more like a friend than a politician. He gave a brief speech then took questions from interim Law School dean James Gardner and former law school dean and distinguished law professor Makau Mutua, who sat on stage beside him for the entire night.

Holder also answered questions from students at the event and took questions via Twitter. He joked that because hes no longer apart of the Obama Administration, he could say whatever he wants and encouraged the audience to ask him anything. Holder delved into politics but also discussed his early life growing up in New York City. He talked about blacks peoples relations with law enforcement, safe spaces and free speech.

Holder also held an informal session on Thursday afternoon where he answered questions from a crowd of predominantly law students and took selfies with them once the session concluded.

A student asked Holder about the role of free speech in college settings, specifically referencing the violent protests that emerged at UC Berkeley when controversial journalist Milo Yiannopoulos was pegged to speak.

Well let me start this way, Milo whatever his last name is, is an idiot, Holder said to a roaring applause. Hes an idiot, I disagree with him, hes a provocateur, hes not sincere in his beliefs and yet if we are going to be true to our First Amendment and the right of people to engage, he should have been allowed to speak. We have to have that safe space.

While Holder does agree with Yiannopoulos, he said free speech entitles him to be heard. He explained that college settings should offer all kinds of dialogue even if it's controversial or abhorrent.

But let me be clear, hes an idiot. Holder said.

Mutua read a question submitted via Twitter, which asked if getting into an Ivy League school meant students would lose touch on their black culture.

Holder earned his both his bachelor's degree in American history and J.D. from Columbia University.

Im still a brother, Holder responded with pride.

The low number of black students at Columbia did not take away from his experiences at the university, he said. Instead, it made him form a close community with students of color and he left college with even greater pride for his race.

I didnt lose my identity as a black man [or] black person at Columbia. In fact, in a lot of ways my perception of myself as an African American was enhanced by my experiences there.

Holder said he has three role models: his father, Malcolm X and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

He described his father as a strong west-Indian who was abandoned by his father, who came to the U.S. around the age of 13 and made sure his boys did not have the experiences that he had.

When Holder was a teenager, he learned that his father didnt finish high school. His father waited to tell him because he was too ashamed.

He was the wisest man Ive ever known and a person I try to emulate even til this day, Holder said.

Holder didnt know Malcolm X personally, but when he read his autobiography and saw the transition from petty criminal, to race hater, to a person who understands the universality of human beings, he became his hero.

Holder loved Kareem Abdul Jabbar's combination of athleticism, intellectualism and his pride in his blackness. He now considers him not only a role model, but a friend.

Holder discussed a wealth of political issues during the night, including President Donald Trumps travel ban. He called the ban unconstitutional as a matter of law and unwise as a matter of policy.

I think it will make more difficult our struggles against terrorism, although thats what is aimed at. It tends to convert this war against terrorism into a religious war, which plays right into the hands of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and their derivatives, he said.

Gardner asked Holder how college students, who were born well after Dr. King made strides for civil rights, could keep his memory fresh and meaningful. Holder said students must study and understand who Dr. King was.

[Dr. King] was more than just a great speech in 1963 in Washington D.C. He was an activist. He was a person who was not popular in his time. He was person of great courage, Holder said.

Holder believes if Dr. Martin Luther King were to come back and ask what the country has become since he died, he would see that a black man was president of the U.S. and a black man was attorney general of the U.S. He would see blacks better off economically than they were in his time and he would see a rise in black political power.

And yet, he would come back and be very disappointed by the relationship between people of color and law enforcement, where a lack of trust existed back then and continues to exist today, Holder said.

Holder hoped people would find a way to become actively involved in politics.

He said the Vietnam War didnt end because Richard Nixon made a military decision that the war ended. It ended because people went out into the streets, protested and made the people in power understand that they didnt support the war.

Dont underestimate the power of American people in the streets protesting, but understand also that we cant simply have a moment, we need a movement. It means being involved, it means being understanding. Progress is not linear, as Dr. King knew. There are going to be setbacks, theres going to be failings, theres going to be problems. But that arc continues as long as people put their hands on it and it continues towards justice, Holder said.

Ashley Inkumsah is the co-senior news editor and can be reached at ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com

Originally posted here:
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at UB ... - University at Buffalo The Spectrum