Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) — Attorney General Eric Holder plans to resign his post, staying in office until a successor is confirmed, a Justice Department official said.
Holder told President Barack Obama of his plans over the Labor Day weekend and will formally announce his decision at the White House later today, according to the official, who asked for anonymity because Holder's intentions haven't been publicly released.
Obama is returning this afternoon from meetings at the United Nations in New York and the White House has scheduled an announcement for 4:30 p.m. Washington time.
Holder, 63, is one of three original members of Obama's cabinet still serving in the administration, having been confirmed in 2009. He is the first black attorney general and the fourth-longest serving in U.S. history.
Deputy Attorney General James Cole; Kathryn Ruemmler, the former White House counsel; Deval Patrick, the Democratic governor of Massachusetts; and at least three Democratic U.S. senators, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, have been mentioned by congressional and administration officials as qualified successors.
Names mentioned
California Attorney General Kamala Harris has been a supporter and ally of Obama and is another potential candidate. Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan also has been mentioned at a possible successor. Bharara's response when asked about higher office has consistently been "I love my job."
