Eric Holder in Higher Loyalty, by James Comey

On Crime: 2001: Supported Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich

In 1983 oil trader Marc Rich had been indicted for 65 criminal counts by then-US Attorney Rudy Giuliani. Among the counts were income tax evasion, wire fraud racketeering, and trading with Iran. Rich fled the US shortly before the indictment (then the biggest tax evasion cases in US history). He was given safe haven in Switzerland , which refused to extradite him for what the Swiss considered tax crimes.

Nearly two decades later, on his final day in office, President Clinton had issued Rich a highly unusual pardon. It was unusual because the pardon was given to a fugitive, which was, to my knowledge, unprecedented. It was also unusual, and suspicious, because it had not gone through the normal review process at the Department of Justice. The pardon had only been sent by then-Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, who, without seeking input from the prosecutors or agents who knew the case, cryptically told the White House he was neutral leaning positive.

Source: A Higher Loyalty, by James Comey, p.159-60 Apr 17, 2018

On Crime: Charged General David Petraeus with misdemeanor, not felony

The misdemeanor charge General David Petraeus received for mishandling classified material was reasonable and consistent with past cases, but I argued strongly to Attorney General Holder that Petraeus also should be charged with a felony for lying to the Bureau. Replaying in my mind that Martha Stewart, Leonidas Young, and Scooter Libby cases, I argued that that if we weren't going to hold retired generals and CIA directors accountable for blatantly lying during investigations, how could we justify jailing thousands of others for doing the same thing? I believed, and still believe, that Petraeus was treated under a double standard based on class. A poor person, an unknown person--say a young black Baptist Minister from Richmond--would be charged with a felony and sent to jail. Source: A Higher Loyalty, p.164, by James Comey Apr 17, 2018

The above quotations are from Higher Loyalty Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Eric Holder. Click here for Eric Holder on all issues.
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Page last updated: Oct 10, 2018