Former Attorney General Eric Holder was with Democrat lawmakers in California on Tuesday, but no one appears to know exactly what he was doing.
Holder and his firm, Covington & Burling, were hired by the state legislature, over Republican objections, in January, and his visit to Sacramento featured numerous photo-ops — but few details.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Senate leader Kevin de Léon (D-Los Angeles) took a photo with Holder. De Léon said, “We’re here to talk about what are we going to do collectively, the Assembly and the Senate, to do everything within our power, within our own legal means to protect our policies, to protect the values of the people of California. I think it’s pretty simple and straightforward.”
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) was also able to take a photo with Holder. Afterward, Holder said, “I’m here just to assist these gentlemen and the people who they serve with in trying to protect the interests of the people of California.”
Holder was asked to provide specifics regarding how he plans to “assist” California Democrats — at a reported rate of some $25,000 per month — and his answer was, “Well.”
Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) was present to hear Holder make some remarks. But when asked what Holder said, Santiago replied, “We talked about California’s positioning, what options we have in front of us and how we can lead the nation in terms of a resistance and what we can do to fight back,”
Republican lawmakers asked for time to ask Holder a few questions but were denied.
On January 11 Breitbart News reported that Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Roseville) challenged the constitutionality of hiring Holder to work with Democrat lawmakers to fight against Trump administrations actions in California.
Reuters made clear that California is expected to oppose the Trump administration via the issuance of “legal challenges to…executive orders and federal policies” that run counter to the state’s positions on the environment and illegal immigration. But the state has its own new Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, who plans to lead its legal strategy.
As for any specificity concerning Holder’s role, that is still missing. Yes, he was in Sacramento; yes, he took photographs with Democrat lawmakers, but nothing more than that was learned.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.