Inhofe Explains 'No' Vote On Eric Holder
Senator Jim Inhofe said today he will vote against the confirmation of Eric Holder as attorney general because Holder has opposed the right of citizens to keep and bear arms and helped pardon felons in the Clinton Administration.
Said Inhofe: "I believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who value their 2nd amendment personal right to own their own firearms. I also believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who favor justice over political patronage. Finally, I believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who realize we are in a War on Terror and want to continue the strong efforts to bring terrorists to justice. I am opposed to the appointment of Eric Holder to be the next Attorney General of the United States.
I take particular interest in this nomination, because I, as well as the voters of the State of Oklahoma, feel strongly that the rights conferred upon us by the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantee an individual freedom that no government regulation can take away. Eric Holder’s record and his true beliefs about the Second Amendment are clear.
"In a brief filed in the Heller case, Holder joined other past Department of Justice officials by saying, 'The Second Amendment Does Not Protect Firearms Possession or Use That Is Unrelated To Participation In a Well-Regulated Militia' and that 'recognition of an expansive individual right to keep and bear arms for private purposes will make it more difficult for the government to defend present and future firearms laws.'
"That he is opposed to the right to keep and bear arms is bad enough, but I am also very uncomfortable with Mr. Holder’s judgment and record on pardons and clemency during the Clinton Administration. He apparently chose to circumvent the standard process by which all pardons are considered and granted, and clouded this process with the appearance of impropriety. If the pardon of Mark Rich was not impropriety, and I believe it was, then it was at the very least extreme negligence, and such negligence has no place in any level of government.
"Mark Rich, whom many label a tax evader, is in fact even more than that. Rich was indicted in 1983 on 65 counts of not only tax evasion, but also fraud, racketeering, and trading with the enemy. Rich fled to Switzerland before he could stand trial, which is perhaps the most egregious element of this case—he was a fugitive and a regular fixture on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. And Holder recommended a pardon, bypassed the Department of Justice and the hundreds of individuals who worked to bring Mark Rich to justice, when the man who was being pardoned was not even willing to face the same justice system to which every other American must answer. In fact, Holder admitted during his confirmation hearing that he did not adequately acquaint himself with the facts of the case.
"The United States Senate should not allow such injustice to go unanswered.
"Equally egregious, Holder was deputy attorney general in an Administration which granted clemency to 16 members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, the terrorist organization FALN. This is a group that carried out violent protests, set off bombs several times in New York City and Chicago and was convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition. The Clinton Administration granted clemency despite opposition from the US Attorney’s office, FBI, and most importantly, the victims of FALN terrorist activities. This was Holder’s recommendation.
"For at least these reasons, I oppose the nomination of an individual who just doesn’t agree with Americans that I know. I will be voting a definitive no on the Holder nomination."
Said Inhofe: "I believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who value their 2nd amendment personal right to own their own firearms. I also believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who favor justice over political patronage. Finally, I believe I am speaking on behalf of Americans who realize we are in a War on Terror and want to continue the strong efforts to bring terrorists to justice. I am opposed to the appointment of Eric Holder to be the next Attorney General of the United States.
I take particular interest in this nomination, because I, as well as the voters of the State of Oklahoma, feel strongly that the rights conferred upon us by the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantee an individual freedom that no government regulation can take away. Eric Holder’s record and his true beliefs about the Second Amendment are clear.
"In a brief filed in the Heller case, Holder joined other past Department of Justice officials by saying, 'The Second Amendment Does Not Protect Firearms Possession or Use That Is Unrelated To Participation In a Well-Regulated Militia' and that 'recognition of an expansive individual right to keep and bear arms for private purposes will make it more difficult for the government to defend present and future firearms laws.'
"That he is opposed to the right to keep and bear arms is bad enough, but I am also very uncomfortable with Mr. Holder’s judgment and record on pardons and clemency during the Clinton Administration. He apparently chose to circumvent the standard process by which all pardons are considered and granted, and clouded this process with the appearance of impropriety. If the pardon of Mark Rich was not impropriety, and I believe it was, then it was at the very least extreme negligence, and such negligence has no place in any level of government.
"Mark Rich, whom many label a tax evader, is in fact even more than that. Rich was indicted in 1983 on 65 counts of not only tax evasion, but also fraud, racketeering, and trading with the enemy. Rich fled to Switzerland before he could stand trial, which is perhaps the most egregious element of this case—he was a fugitive and a regular fixture on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List. And Holder recommended a pardon, bypassed the Department of Justice and the hundreds of individuals who worked to bring Mark Rich to justice, when the man who was being pardoned was not even willing to face the same justice system to which every other American must answer. In fact, Holder admitted during his confirmation hearing that he did not adequately acquaint himself with the facts of the case.
"The United States Senate should not allow such injustice to go unanswered.
"Equally egregious, Holder was deputy attorney general in an Administration which granted clemency to 16 members of the Armed Forces of National Liberation, the terrorist organization FALN. This is a group that carried out violent protests, set off bombs several times in New York City and Chicago and was convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition. The Clinton Administration granted clemency despite opposition from the US Attorney’s office, FBI, and most importantly, the victims of FALN terrorist activities. This was Holder’s recommendation.
"For at least these reasons, I oppose the nomination of an individual who just doesn’t agree with Americans that I know. I will be voting a definitive no on the Holder nomination."
Labels: Eric Holder, Jim Inhofe
posted by Mike McCarville @ 4:08 PM
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