Rep. Polis: Attorney General Eric Holder Should Resign

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by: Colorado Pols

Rep. Jared Polis.

As the Fort Collins Coloradoan's Patrick Malone reports:

Domestic spying practices top the list of reasons that Fort Collins’ representative in Congress says U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder should go.

“I would be very happy to see him leave,” U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., told the Fort Collins Coloradoan on Wednesday.

The federal government’s wiretapping of some members of the press and the National Security Agency’s surveillance of citizens’ phone and Internet records are foremost among the reasons Polis contends Holder should step down or be removed as the nation’s top law enforcer…

But Polis’ gripes with Holder don’t end with domestic spying.

“I’m no fan of Eric Holder for a number of reasons,” Polis said.

He contends that Holder has ignored abuse of prosecutorial discretion within the U.S. Department of Justice and has complicated Colorado’s course moving forward with voter-approved legalization of recreational marijuana by staying mum.

Rep. Jared Polis becomes the second Colorado Democrat in Congress after Sen. Mark Udall to break with the Obama administration on the matter of National Security Agency surveillance programs–which have been ramping up and operating at least since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but not curtailed by Obama as he promised when campaigning for President in 2008. Polis' call for the resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder goes a step further than Sen. Udall, who is only calling (publicly, anyway) for greater transparency.

Polis has been a longtime advocate for marijuana decriminalization at the federal level–or failing that, at least respect at the federal level for Colorado law, which legalized the drug for medical and more recently for general use. Marijuana proponents in Colorado generally look to Polis as a liason with the Obama administration on the issue, so it will be interesting to see what develops from his new harder line.

13 thoughts on “Rep. Polis: Attorney General Eric Holder Should Resign”

DavidThi808 says:

August 14, 2013 at 1:40 pm

I am so happy to have Jared as my rep. And this is another giant reason why.

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1. Aristotle says:
  
  August 14, 2013 at 1:45 pm
  
  This is important… but then again, so is Holder's apparent understanding that our drug laws are terrible. If he were to leave, would the next AG do any work on that end?
  
  (This question, posed for the purpose of discussion, assumes Holder is sincerely working toward reform in this area, which is such a leap of faith based on only one set of remarks that I feel the need to clarify that I don't yet believe that any reform work is being done yet – nothing beyond the very most preliminary groundwork, anyway. But his remarks the other day are still huge.)
  
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bullshit! says:

August 14, 2013 at 2:25 pm

Word up, Jared. Democrats should stand for what's right, not party fealty.

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davebarnes says:

August 14, 2013 at 4:26 pm

I disagree. Obama should fire Holder.

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Smoking Mirror says:

August 14, 2013 at 5:47 pm

Heh. I live in D-6. This development, on top of Polis' bold statement on fracking last week, almost (I say almost…) makes me want to declare an intent to move to his district so I can vote for him.

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EccentricRepublican says:

August 14, 2013 at 6:12 pm

I/O error Abort? Retry? Fail?

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1. Smoking Mirror says:
  
  August 14, 2013 at 8:58 pm
  
  Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you.
  
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DavidThi808 says:

August 14, 2013 at 8:06 pm

What I would really like to see Congess do is go after the national security officials that lied to them. Prosecute them for breaking the law. Why they're given a pass for lying I don't understand.

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1. ClubTwitty says:
  
  August 14, 2013 at 9:25 pm
  
  Because they are all complicit David. Its nice folks are paying more attention now, but it would have been better if Rep. Udall and others asked those questions in 2002 when the PATRIOT Act was being rushed through.
  
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2. Littletonian says:
  
  August 15, 2013 at 6:54 pm
  
  Agree with David; agree with Polis. Holder's got to go, and Congress should prosecute everyone who lied in committee hearings.
  
  Also, Obama needs to give up the Snowden wild goose chase. It's made him (Obama) look like a buffoon internationally.
  
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Gilpin Guy says:

August 15, 2013 at 10:18 am

You have to give Polis credit for knowing what his constituents want. Good for him to stick up for state rights regarding the passage of Amendment 64.

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1. ClubTwitty says:
  
  August 15, 2013 at 4:32 pm
  
  I wish they would have given Polis more of the Western Slope. Instead they took some away. I think he is a good legislator. But unlike David I like my Sens too. I never agree with everything. With my congressman I have to be happy getting something occasionally. Tipton's microhydro bill that was just signed by President Obama and carried by Udall in the Senate is really good legisaltion for Colorado. I think he should be thanked for it.
  
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mamajama55 says:

August 16, 2013 at 11:54 am

I don't want Holder to be fired. I like what he's doing with voter rights.

However, NSA needs oversight and transparency. Udall's got my support.

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