It's a sad indication of where Washington has come, where policy differences almost necessarily become questions of integrity. I came to Washington in the late '70s, and people had the ability in the past to have intense policy differences but didn't feel the need to question the other person's character.

In the wake of the murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. He earned an A. Holder stepped down from the bench in 1993 to accept an appointment as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from President Bill Clinton.

In that office he prosecuted Congressman Dan Rostenkowski (Democrat Illinois) for corruption charges related to his role in the Congressional Post Office scandal. Holder previously served as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and a United States Attorney.