Holder Defends AP Monitoring, Says Leak ‘Required Very Aggressive Action’

Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters today that a leak of classified national-security information to the Associated Press “required very aggressive action” from the Department of Justice. “This was a very, very serious leak,” said Holder, calling it one of the “most serious leaks I’ve ever seen.” He emphasaized this his description was “not hyperbole,” adding that the leak “put the American people at risk.”

Holder explained that he had recused himself from the probe to “avoid any potential appearance of a conflict of interest” because he had been interviewed by the FBI in connection with the leak and had had “frequent contact with the media.” He assured reporters that while he was unfamiliar with the specifics of the investigation, he was confident that the deputy attorney general and other members of the department had “followed all the appropriate Department of Justice regulations.”

Later in the press conference, when pressed on the Obama administration’s civil-liberties record, Holder said he was “proud” and the administration has “put a real value on the rule of law.”