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After a stormy 5½-year tenure, Attorney General Eric Holder formally announced Thursday that he plans to resign as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Holder's decision sets up what will likely be a bruising confirmation battle for his successor as President Obama's second term winds down.The resignation robs Obama of one of his longest-serving aides — one of the handful who have been with him since the dawn of his history-making first term. Holder will stay on until his successor is confirmed."This is bittersweet," the president admitted as he formally announced the move in the White House's State Dining Room. "Eric has done a superb job."Obama gave no hint of whom he might name for the job, but some administration officials have floated figures like Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr., California Attorney General Kamala Harris, and two-term Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island."I come to this moment with very mixed emotions," said Holder, who choked up as he thanked his wife and three children for the "sacrifices, often unfair" that they made while he held the post.“In the months ahead, I will leave the Department of Justice, but I will never — I will never — leave the work. I will continue to serve and try to find ways to make our nation ever more true to our founding ideals,” he added.After Holder finished speaking, to applause from invited guests, Obama told Holder, "You got through it."His decision to leave sets up a confirmation battle that will help define Obama’s second term. Republicans are in good shape to retake the Senate in November, putting pressure on the White House to either find a compromise candidate or gird for a potential political war.Holder, the first African-American U.S. attorney general, frequently found himself in political crossfire — assailed by Republicans in Congress over scandals like the Fast and Furious investigation and denounced by liberals for not taking a harder line on Wall Street after the 2007-2008 financial meltdown and for approving government surveillance programs that scoop up the personal information of millions of Americans not charged with a crime.He also became a lightning rod for what critics condemned as the administration’s heavy-handed response to national security leaks, targeting reporters with extensive surveillance and even prosecution for refusing to reveal their sources.Holder’s longevity in the face of such criticisms surprised many in Washington. He stands to have the third-longest tenure in the position if he remains in office into December, a Justice Department official noted.
