WASHINGTON—The former Bush administration lawyer under fire for defending the federal ban on gay marriage is getting support from an unexpected source -- Attorney General Eric Holder.
Holder told reporters on Tuesday that Clement is "doing that which lawyers do" to take on the responsibility of representing the lawmakers who wrote the ban.
"Paul Clement's a great lawyer," Holder said. "He has done a lot of really great things for this nation."
President Barack Obama ordered Holder's Justice Department in February to stop defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. That led House Republicans to hire Clement to take up the cause.
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