Eric Holder, Unleashed
It's as if Eric Holder Jr. is everywhere these days, from fighting gerrymandering to executive producing a TV show to hinting at a presidential run. But does he have time to do any actual work at Covington & Burling, where he's a partner?
March 28, 2018 at 11:17 AM
4 minute read
It's as if Eric Holder Jr. is everywhere these days.
The 2020 Census will include a citizenship question? Holder's National Democratic Redistricting Committee is suing. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker won't hold special elections? Holder is litigating that too.
Sticking up for sanctuary cities? Yep, he's on it.
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia? The former attorney general and his group are targeting those elections as well.
He's featured on shows like Bill Maher and Rachel Maddow, and starred in a one-on-one televised interview, “An Evening with Eric Holder” at GW University.
Wait, there's more. Holder is executive producing “Main Justice,” a new CBS legal drama pilot inspired by his life and work, starring Bokeem Woodbine. (Per Deadline.com, “The show takes us into the tumultuous world of the 5th floor of the Department of Justice where he takes on the biggest legal and investigative cases in the country.”)
Funny how nobody wanted to make a TV show about Michael Mukasey or Alberto Gonzalez or John Ashcroft. In fact, you'd probably have to go back to Bobby Kennedy to find a former AG as high-profile as Holder.
Case in point: The Washington Post just ranked Holder number 12 of the top 15 Democratic presidential hopefuls for 2020, calling him “one of the more intriguing possibilities.”
Holder, who is 67, is not ruling out a run. “We'll see,” he said, according to CNBC. “I think I'll make a decision by the end of the year about whether there is another chapter in my government service.”
One small question: Does he have time to do any actual work at Covington & Burling, where he's a partner?
The firm is certainly not complaining.
“He's involved in a lot of important issues of the day, but he's also involved in very important issues for our client base,” said Covington chairman Timothy Hester in an interview, describing Holder as “a wonderful person and incredibly nice teammate.”
For example, Holder last year led Uber's internal investigation into workplace harassment and discrimination, producing a lengthy report and recommendations. And he aided African telecom giant MTN in slashing a $3.9 billion fine imposed by Nigeria.
Holder also accompanied Hester to Dubai and Johannesburg when the firm opened new offices there last year. “He's thrown himself into the life of our firm.” Hester said. “He's a very busy practicing lawyer, and at the same time he's involved in a number of pro bono projects and public service matters.”
“We've seen clients turn to him for leadership roles in major matters,” he added. “Clients are very interested in his perspective on U.S. government enforcement.”
Holder has even found a grudging fan in President Trump.
“Holder protected President Obama. Totally protected him,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Times in December. “And I have great respect for that.”
Holder's response in an interview with Bill Maher earlier this month: “The difference between me and Jeff Sessions is, I had a president I did not have to protect.”
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