The day after the Pennsylvania Democratic primary, Eric Holder Jr. is working from Covington & Burling’s elegant new Manhattan offices inside the year-old New York Times Building. He’s there to prep Fernando Aguirre, the CEO of Chiquita Brands International Inc., for an interview with “60 Minutes,” which will be broadcasting a segment on the company’s past involvement with Colombian right-wing paramilitary forces. Last March, Holder helped Chiquita secure a slap-on-the-wrist plea deal to charges that it had paid off the terrorists.
But before the Aguirre meeting, Holder has to place a call to Warren Ballentine, a nationally syndicated African-American radio talk show host, who wants to discuss last night’s primary results. While Holder waits in an empty office on the 43rd floor for Ballentine to wrap up his conversation with Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, the station plays a 1970s soul song by the O’Jays, followed by a message from the Rev. Al Sharpton encouraging listeners to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
