Eric Holder on Barr's handling of Mueller report: 'He's making mistakes'

It has pained U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to watch how the White House and Justice Department handled Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation — particularly U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s actions after the long-awaited report landed.

Holder, attorney general from 2009 to 2015 under President Barack Obama, said Barr’s move to summarily absolve the president before releasing the report, both in his summary to Congress and in a press conference this week, is incongruent with the independence expected of that department.

“He’s making mistakes. The attorney general of the United States is the people’s lawyer, not the president’s lawyer,” said Holder, who keynoted the “Justice Demands” Gala of the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy at Mayne Stage in Rogers Park on Thursday.

“I’m glad I’m not in D.C., given the events of this week,” said Holder, 68, who was a judge, U.S. attorney and deputy U.S. attorney general before becoming the first African American to head the Department of Justice.

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