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US Attorney General Eric Holder to resign US Attorney General Eric Holder resigns
(about 2 hours later)
US Attorney General Eric Holder is to announce his resignation, White House officials have confirmed. US Attorney General Eric Holder has announced he is stepping down, as President Barack Obama praised him as "the people's lawyer".
One of the longest serving members of President Obama's cabinet, he led the justice department for six years. One of the longest serving members of the president's cabinet, Mr Holder led the justice department for six years.
Mr Holder is the first black US attorney general and has had the fourth longest stint in the post in history. Mr Holder is the first black US attorney general and has had the fourth longest tenure in the post in history.
He recently played a key role in the administration's response to the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Mr Obama praised his prosecution of terrorism suspects, his protection of voting rights, and on other issues.
The White House said in a statement that President Barack Obama would make the announcement on Thursday afternoon. The top law enforcement officer in the US, Mr Holder will remain in the job until his successor is named and confirmed by the Senate.
"Holder's accomplishments have established a historic legacy of civil rights enforcement and restoring fairness to the criminal justice system. Mr Obama has not said whom he will nominate to the position.
"Holder revitalised the department's praised Civil Rights Division, protected the rights of the LGBT community, successfully prosecuted terrorists, and fought tirelessly for voting rights, to name a few." Making the announcement at the White House, Mr Obama praised Mr Holder's record on a number of issues central to his tenure at the White House.
He plans to remain at the justice department until his successor is in place. He singled out Mr Holder's successful prosecution in civilian courts of hundreds of terrorism suspects, his fervent protection of the voting rights of minorities, his push for equal rights for gays and lesbians, and his move for sentencing reform, especially for non-violent drug offences.
"He believes, as I do, that justice is not just an abstract theory - it's a living and breathing principle," said Mr Obama, who is a personal friend of Mr Holder. "It's about how our laws interact with our daily lives."
'Founding ideals'
Mr Holder said he had "mixed emotions" about stepping down, but said that while he was leaving the justice department, he was "never leaving the work".
"I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation even more true to its founding ideals," he said.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mr Holder said his biggest regret was "the failure to pass any responsible and reasonable gun safety legislation" after the 2012 massacre at a primary school in Connecticut.
Among his achievements, some highly controversial, is reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders and some federal drug offenders.Among his achievements, some highly controversial, is reduced prison sentences for non-violent offenders and some federal drug offenders.
He also refused to defend a law that defined marriage as between one man and one woman. "Thanks to his efforts, since I took office, the overall crime rate and the overall incarceration rate have gone down by about 10%," Mr Obama said. "That's the first time that they've declined together, at the same time, in more than 40 years."
And the justice department sued Texas and North Carolina for changes to voting rights that affected minorities. Mr Holder also refused to defend in court a law that barred the federal government from recognising same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court overturned that law in 2013, which Mr Obama said vindicated Mr Holder's decision.
But his decision to have the 9/11 accused tried in a New York courthouse near the World Trade Center provoked an intense backlash from conservatives who said they should not be afforded the same constitutional rights as ordinary criminals. Under Mr Holder, the justice department sued Texas and North Carolina for changing their voting laws in ways he said would disproportionately restrict the ability of black and Hispanic voters to cast a ballot.
In addition, some New York City officials said the security regiment necessary for such trials would throw Manhattan into gridlock. Mr Holder ultimately backtracked. Found in contempt
The attorney general recently played a key role in the administration's response to the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
But Mr Holder's justice department aggressively pursued leaks to news media. He authorised the subpoena of phone records from Associated Press reporters and used a search warrant to gain emails from a Fox News reporter.
He was also embarrassed by a botched gun trafficking operation called Fast and Furious, in which US agents lost track of hundreds of firearms sold in Arizona they believed were ultimately destined for Mexican drug traffickers.He was also embarrassed by a botched gun trafficking operation called Fast and Furious, in which US agents lost track of hundreds of firearms sold in Arizona they believed were ultimately destined for Mexican drug traffickers.
An internal inquiry found no evidence he knew about the controversial tactics.An internal inquiry found no evidence he knew about the controversial tactics.
But Mr Holder's refusal to hand over justice department documents on the matter to the Republican-led House of Representatives led the chamber to hold him in contempt. But Mr Holder's refusal to hand over justice department documents on the matter to the Republican-led House of Representatives led the chamber to find him in contempt.