Will Holder run for president in 2020?
When former Attorney General Eric Holder recently came to a Monitor Breakfast, he seemed to enjoy himself so much that he made news.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. speaks at a Monitor Breakfast for journalists on Feb. 7 in Washington. Host Linda Feldmann is sitting beside him.
Michael Bonfigli /海角大神
Washington
I didn鈥檛 quite know what to expect when Eric Holder came to the Monitor Breakfast on Feb. 7. Sure, I had seen him on TV during his six years as President Obama鈥檚 attorney general. But I had never met Mr. Holder in person. How would he feel about facing a room packed with reporters 鈥� 35, including me, the host 鈥� bursting with questions about the Mueller investigation, 鈥溾�� criminal justice reform, race, and gerrymandering?
Oh, and one more: Will Holder run for president in 2020?
More on that in a moment.
It was gerrymandering 鈥� the drawing of oddly shaped legislative districts to favor one group or party 鈥� that brought Holder to the Monitor Breakfast as we kicked off its 53rd year. He鈥檚 chairman of a new group that is聽聽to state legislatures and governor鈥檚 offices in key states this November. Holder鈥檚 good friend Mr. Obama is helping out, as Democrats look ahead to the next round of redistricting in 2021.
Holder was relaxed and personable as he took the hot seat. When the hour ended, he turned to me and said, 鈥淭hat was fun. Why didn鈥檛 I do this when I was attorney general?鈥�
Maybe that鈥檚 why he stayed an extra 20 minutes, talking to reporters individually and in little scrums. I鈥檓 glad he did, because his comments made more news. For example: Did special counsel Robert Mueller have enough evidence to bring an obstruction case against President Trump 鈥� even just a technical one? 鈥淚 think so,鈥� Holder said, quickly adding that 鈥渋f you鈥檙e a prosecutor, you make sure that you are building the best case,鈥� not just a 鈥渢echnical case.鈥� The Politico reporter standing next to me聽
My story focused on聽. My colleague Peter Grier also filed, examining the聽
But the instant headline out of the breakfast was Holder鈥檚 answer to my question: Are you thinking of running for office? 鈥淚鈥檒l see,鈥� he responded, adding that he will decide by year鈥檚 end. 鈥淧resident?鈥� another reporter chimed in. 鈥淲e鈥檒l see,鈥� Holder said. At this early stage, most people thinking of running for president insist they love their current job and couldn鈥檛 possibly consider doing anything else. But Holder actually answered the question.
If you want to watch the entire breakfast,聽聽A separate clip,聽, shows Holder pointedly not ruling out a presidential run.
Our next guest, on Feb. 14, will be Rep. Adam Schiff (D) of California, ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee. Looking ahead, we have invitations out to prominent Republicans. We have hosted several in recent months 鈥� from a聽, to a聽, to a聽. Mr. Trump, for the record, is welcome anytime.
As the new host of the Monitor Breakfast, I鈥檓 looking forward to sharing the experience with you through notes like these. I鈥檝e attended many breakfasts in my 30 years in Washington, and learned a lot from watching my predecessors at the table 鈥撀�, who just embarked on a well-deserved retirement, and聽, who invented the Washington power breakfast back in 1966. I owe them a debt of gratitude. As this breakfast concluded, I shared Holder鈥檚 reaction: That was fun.