At a panel discussion on the changes expected at President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice, five former DOJ lawyers from three presidential administrations agreed that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is able, competent and has the respect of lawyers inside and outside the department.
But opinions diverged, sometimes dramatically, as Wednesday’s discussion addressed politicization of the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and the department’s memos about the torture of detainees suspected of terrorism.
