Eric Holder: 'I respect 2nd Amendment'

by Mark Silva

Atty. Gen'l Eric Holder, fresh from a visit to Mexico -- whose escalating drug war has spilled into the United States as well -- had said during his Senate confirmation hearing that he supports reinstatement of the assault weapons ban. But "he's been silent on the subject since,'' CBS News notes.

"Did someone tell you to back off?'' Evening News anchor Katie Couric asks the attorney general, in the second part of her interview of Holder airing this evening.

"No one's told me to back off,'' replies Holder, who goes on to make several more guarded statements on the subject. "I understand the Second Amendment. I respect the Second Amendment.''

It's been reported, Couric suggests, that Democrats in Congress "are getting increasingly chummy with the NRA and receiving more campaign contributions from that organization than in previous years.'' If "nobody wants to get the NRA riled up,'' she asks, "has this become political at all?''

"No, I don't think it has,'' says Holder - (really?)

"In fact,'' the nation's chief law enforcement officer says, "I look forward to working with the NRA to come up with ways in which we can use common sense approaches to reduce the level of violence that we see...in our streets and make the American people as safe as they can possibly be.''

What about gun shows, presses Couric - "In over 30 states, people can simply walk into gun shows and buy a gun, sometimes, from unlicensed dealers without a background check. Would you support closing the gun show loophole?''

"Well, again, these are issues that we'll have to discuss,'' Holder says. "The president will be the one who will ultimately set policy. Things that are politically saleable and things that will ultimately be effective.... That'll be one of the things I'll talk about with the president.''

See the full CBS interview above, and here, courtesy of CBS Evening News, is the transcript of tonight's talk with Holder:

KATIE COURIC: He is the first African American Attorney general...but not stranger to the Justice Department. His first job out of Columbia law school was in the public integrity division as a trial lawyer...and he later became deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration. He left government in 2001 to go into private practice...before being tapped for the top job this past January. The 58 year old father of three is married to a Washington OB GYN...and has been a close friend of the president's since Barack Obama was elected to the Senate...sharing a love of legal issues and basketball.

He recently returned from Mexico, where violence between a handful of waring cartels fighting over control and supply routes is increasingly threatening this country...so far 230 US cities have been infiltrated by Mexican drug gangs.

Following his visit, he pledged greater cooperation with Mexican authorities.

KATIE COURIC: How concerned, though, are you-- attorney general Holder, about corruption within the ranks of law enforcement in Mexico?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, it-- that's clearly a problem. And the attorney general of Mexico will-- will tell you that. When you have that amount of money that's flowing-- through any country, it has an impact, or has the potential to have an impact-- on-- society generally. And law enforcement-- is no different.

KATIE COURIC: But that does make cooperation pretty challenging.

ERIC HOLDER 01: Well, it makes it challenging, but not impossible. And we've come up with ways in which we-- are able to share intelligence with-- those who are with us in-- in these battles against these cartels.

KATIE COURIC: What about reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole? Do you think that will stop the flow of weapons to the U.S?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, I think the thing we need to do is come up with those things we can do right away. And we're gonna be moving 100 ATF agents to the border. About 26 DEA agents to the border. And that will happen over the next 30 days or so. And I think that will have a pretty dramatic impact on reducing the flow of weapons into Mexico.

(TRACK) But the guns being purchased and used in the US has also become front and center, given that a recent series of mass shootings from southern Alabama sound up to upstate New York have killed 57 people. While The Attorney General said he supported reinstating the assault weapons ban during his confirmation hearing, he's been silent on the subject since.

KATIE COURIC: Did someone tell you to back off?

ERIC HOLDER: No one's told me to back off. I understand the second amendment. I respect the second amendment.

KATIE COURIC: It's been reported that democrats on capital hill are getting increasingly chummy with the NRA and receiving more campaign contributions from that organization than in previous years. And nobody wants to get the NRA riled up. Has this become political at all?

ERIC HOLDER: No, I don't think it has. In fact, I look forward to working with the NRA to come up with ways in which we can use common sense approaches to reduce the level of violence that we see...in our streets and make the American people as safe as they can possibly be.

KATIE COURIC: What about gun shows? In over 30 states, people can simply walk into gun shows and buy a gun, sometimes, from unlicensed dealers without a background check. Would you support closing the gun show loophole?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, again, these are issues that we'll have to discuss. The president will be the one who will ultimately set policy. Things that are politically saleable and things that will ultimately be effective.

KATIE COURIC: Does the closing the gun show loophole fall into those categories?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, that'll be one of the things I'll talk about with the president.

(TRACK) Another thorny issue of the AG's plate...where to put the approximately 250 detainees currently being held in Guantanamo. The president has ordered the facility closed by January of next year. Among them, 6 detainees who have been charged as co conspirators in the planning of 9/11..

KATIE COURIC: Is there any chance that some of the high value detainees, I believe there are 14 of them currently in custody, will be transferred to US prisons?

ERIC HOLDER: It's hard to say. At this point, we are, again, making these individualized determinations. And it's not clear where any of the detainees will ultimately end up. But what we will make sure we do is that the American people will be safe with regard to whatever decisions that we make.

Many of the cases are complicated by the fact that they involve classified information that could compromise national security if discussed in open court. Despite that, for the first time, Holder said article three, or federal courts will likely handle a number of high profile, politically sensitive cases.

Sot: we will bring, I think, a substantial number of those people who we decide to charge in article three courts. Others might be taken to-- military courts. Others perhaps, to these military tribunals with-- some enhanced-- enforcement with some-- enhance-- enhanced measures.

KATIE COURIC: There is also the issue of the treatment of some of the detainees. For example, alleged 9/11 mastermind, Khlalid sheikh Mohammed. It's been reported that he was water boarded. You have come out publicly and said water boarding is torture. So how would that stand up in civilian court?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, that's one of the issues that we'd have to deal with. Try to figure out-- exactly what we can do with detainees who have-- have been subjected to these enhanced interrogation techniques. And whether that-- poses a problem in bringing-- tryable cases.

(TRACK) Attorney general Holder also addressed recent criticism by former Vice President Cheney who said the Obama administration was making choices that will raise the risk of another terrorist attack.

ERIC HOLDER: Well, I think that's totally false. It's inconsistent with the facts. If you look at what the president is doing, what this administration is doing in Afghanistan, what we're doing-- with regard to Guantanamo, I think-- the former vice president's remarks are-- are way off the mark.

KATIE COURIC: What do you think of him making those remarks to begin with?

ERIC HOLDER: Well, I would just say that I-- I respect-- former President Bush. And-- former Secretary of state (UNINTEL), who indicated that, for at least some period of time-- a period of-- of silence in letting this administration try to determine what steps it's gonna take is-- is appropriate.

KATIE COURIC: Are you implicitly saying that Dick Cheney was inappropriate and off base, making those comments?

ERIC HOLDER: I'll let other people decide that.

KATIE COURIC: Do you worry about maintaining your independence, because you are such a close personal friend of the president?

ERIC HOLDER: He's a good lawyer. I'm a hard headed lawyer. So I expect we'll clash at times. He understands that great justice departments are those that's separate themselves from the White House.