AG Holder Resigns; Media Speculates on Possible Replacements

Eric Holder, the fourth-longest serving attorney general in U.S. history, resigned yesterday. The White House announced that President Obama “has not made a final decision” on Holder’s replacement, but that naming a new attorney general would be a “high priority” for the president.

Politico reports that Holder “agreed to remain in his post until the confirmation of his successor and points out that Holder’s announcement” gives Obama several weeks to pick and vet a successor who would face confirmation hearings in the lame-duck session after the midterms.”

The Associated Press reports that some possible candidates that have been mentioned include: Solicitor General Don Verrilli; Deputy U.S. Attorney General James Cole; former White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler; Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York; Jenny Durkan, a former U.S. attorney in Washington state, and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a former Rhode Island attorney general.