Eric Holder

there is a legitimate public interest in knowing as much as we can about what happened, why it happened.

We want to activate it. It was specially designed to deal with the unique needs that female prisoners have.

This across-the-board cut would have a devastating impact on the Justice Department's ability to protect the American people.

I also ordered that an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) report be done as an internal DOJ report.

The surveillance authorities that are in the FISA Amendments Act are absolutely critical to our national security.

My hope would be that the Congress will find a way to avoid this sequestration, which... could have a permanent impact on our well-being.

I think the bipartisan effort that resulted in the lowering of that ratio from 100 to about 16 to 1 was something that was long overdue.

I would urge everybody to understand that this Justice Department, this Attorney General, when we made that determination that mistakes occurred, took the extraordinary step of dismissing that case.

I think the people at OPR have done a good job, and there are recommendations with regard to sanctions that ought to be made.

This is not something that the Federal Government can handle by itself.

I think that the partnership that we have is an unprecedented one.

I should be held accountable for certainly my role and whatever I did or didn't do in connection with the supervision of Fast and Furious. But I'm attorney general of the United States, and I should also be held accountable and perhaps…

I would like to be able to say the answer to that question is yes, but, unfortunately, the answer to that question is also no.

Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Cummings have actually put something on paper that I think is a good place for us to start.

I believe that Mrs. Maloney actually has a bill that I think would be a good starting point for us.

Not only did I not authorize those tactics, when I found out about them I told the field... that those tactics had to stop.

What you have just done is, if nothing else, disrespectful.

This administration has consistently favored the reinstitution of the assault weapons ban.

The notion that you would let guns walk in a firearms case is for me absurd, absurd, and it was the reason why I said it cannot happen.

I would like to see a memo that says gun walking and Fast and Furious.

If we are truly going to put partisan concerns aside, put lobbying concerns aside, and have some courage--because it will take some courage, because this will not be universally approved--we can really make a difference.

I really agree with Agent Forcelli. I mean, there's really a need, I believe, for a Federal firearms trafficking statute.

We need to have an ability to say that gun trafficking is inappropriate, it's wrong, and there's a Federal criminal penalty for it.

I have not apologized to them.

We would certainly want to work with her on that bill.