With the news that Attorney General Eric Holder is resigning — planning to step down as soon as President Obama names a successor and moves him through Senate approval — the inevitable speculation begins. Who will be Obama’s pick to fill Holder’s very big shoes — and to provide the kind of political cover and policy support Obama and company will expect and demand?
One person who has been frequently been suggested is Deval Patrick, currently the Governor of Massachusetts. From NBC News:
Patrick, who – like Holder – is African-American, is retiring from the governorship after eight years in the job.
But there could be a slight hiccup with that choice: Massachusetts has a vacancy at lieutenant governor, so there isn’t a natural successor who could replace Patrick if he were picked and confirmed before he leaves office.
NBC News is also naming another top candidate…someone whose gender and sexual orientation could energize two big segments of the Democrat base the party desperately needs to turn out for the upcoming midterms.
If Obama decides to replace Holder with a career prosecutor, a top Democratic Hill aide tells NBC News that one possibility would be retiring U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan in Seattle, who has been described as the first openly gay U.S. attorney.
Breitbart News recently reported that the prosecutor behind the indictment of conservative author and filmmaker Dinesh D-Souza could be in the running.
Preet Bharara, a former staff member to Senator Chuck Schumer, helped lead the Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration. As the U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York, he has received glowing press accounts from the media for cracking down on insider trading.
Another name in the speculative mix: Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. — identified by NPR as “the man behind the defense” of ObamaCare.
Whoever Obama names to replace the Attorney General who has loyally provided cover and protection for this president, it’s highly likely that nomination will be made very soon — possibly even later today.