New Law Blogs

GOP?s Bond: I Regret Voting to Confirm Holder

By Leah Nylen

Sen. Kit Bond, a the top Republican on the intelligence committee, told NBC News that he regrets voting to confirm Attorney General Eric Holder.

Bond, who is retiring this year, made the admission during an “exit interview” with the news station. (Read the full interview here.) NBC asked the Missouri senator what one professional choice he would change if given the opportunity.

Bond said he asked Holder whether he would reopen the investigation into CIA interrogation techniques and the Attorney General said he would not.

“Well, I voted for him,” Bond said, “and then he started a whole list of actions by the Department of Justice, which I believe have significantly crippled our intelligence community.”

He continued: “[Holder] went back and opened up the whole range ? and he?s told everybody that the CIA is now under criminal review.  That has put all of our intelligence-gatherers, who ought to be out on the forefront, in a reflexive, protect-your-neck mode.”

Read the full exchange below.

Q:  You have one day of your Senate life to live over again and change a professional choice that you made, maybe a vote.  Which one is it and why?

A:  Well, from the family standpoint? missing my son?s ball game.

But I would say that recently I had a long discussion with Eric Holder.  So I asked him point-blank, I said, ?I am worried that you’re going to go back and reopen criminal cases [on those] who have been involved in the CIA?s interrogation program.  Would you do that??  He said, ?No, not unless circumstances change completely.?

Well, I voted for him and then he started a whole list of actions by the Department of Justice, which I believe have significantly crippled our intelligence community and turned the CIA into a CYA.  He went back and opened up the whole range ? and he?s told everybody that the CIA is now under criminal review.  That has put all of our intelligence-gatherers, who ought to be out on the forefront, in a reflexive, protect-your-neck mode.

Full post as published by Main Justice on September 13, 2010 (boomark / email).