Comments on: John Edwards and Norm Coleman have a few things in common

By: Ralph Kramden

Ralph Kramden — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:59:40 +0000

Thanks, Chris. I tried to follow the links back but I didn’t find that one.

Frankly, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that Holder said that being an ex-Senator is a “get out of jail free” card, especially because the overwhelming “circumstance” of the case was the egregious prosecutorial misconduct.

By: Chris Steller

Chris Steller — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:27:22 +0000

Hi Ralph, thanks for the comment. Following the link back to my earlier post on Holder dropping charges against Stevens, I see the main source was a NPR report. Online, NPR provides Holder's full statement. The closest Holder actually comes in that statement is this: "...in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of this particular case, I have determined that it is in the interest of justice to dismiss the indictment and not proceed with a new trial." In her report, Nina Totenberg clarifies what that means (though she doesn't cite a source):

With more ugly hearings expected, Holder is said to have decided late Tuesday to pull the plug. His decision is said to be based on Stevens' age — he's 85 — and the fact that Stevens is no longer in the Senate. Perhaps most important, Justice Department officials say Holder wants to send a message to prosecutors throughout the department that actions he regards as misconduct will not be tolerated.

I changed the attribution in this post to NPR's report rather than Holder's own words. Thanks again for pointing that out.

By: Ralph Kramden

Ralph Kramden — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:18:08 +0000

You have said, “One reason Attorney General Eric Holder says he’s dropping charges against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is that Stevens is no longer a senator.”

Where exactly did Holder say that?