Attorney General Eric Holder delivered an emotional speech announcing his resignation on Thursday.
“I come to this moment with very mixed emotions,” he began is speech. “Proud of what the men and women of the Department of Justice have accomplished over the last six years and, at the same time, very sad that I will not be a formal part of the great things that this department and this President will accomplish over the next two.”
Holder thanked President Obama for the opportunity to lead the Department of Justice and also mentioned Vice President Joe Biden and top White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.
Choking back tears, Holder touched on his main accomplishments at the DOJ, one of which was efforts to protect voting rights.
“Over the last six years, our Administration has made historic gains in realizing the principles of the founding documents, and fought to protect the most sacred of American rights: the right to vote,” he said.
“In the months ahead, I will leave the Department of Justice – but I will never leave the work. I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation even more true to its founding ideals,” he concluded. “And I thank you all for joining me on a journey that now moves in another direction, but that will always be guided by the pursuit of justice and aimed at the North Star.”
Before Holder spoke, Obama thanked Holder for his service and praised his work at the Department of Justice.
“He believes, as I do, that justice is not just an abstract theory. It’s a living and breathing principle,” Obama said.
He called Holder “the people’s lawyer” and noted that he reduced both the crime rate and incarceration rate in the country.
