Holder: ‘Our democracy is under attack’

Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that “our democracy is under attack,” amid growing concerns over the political turmoil that has engulfed the Trump administration.

“I’ve said this, and I don’t think it’s hyperbolic, that I think our democracy is under attack,” Holder told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, when asked if he is one of many who “fear the republic is in peril” thanks to the turmoil. 

“If you look at the question of gerrymandering, the question of voter suppression, if you look at the way in which our norms that have normally cabined the way in which government interacts with the people, the way in which people in government interact with each other, a lot of these things are falling by the wayside,” Holder continued. {mosads}

Holder referred to recent “tests” of America’s institutions, such as President Trump’s calls on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department to prosecute former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. 

The former attorney general said that there are norms in America’s “DNA” that prevent such abuses of power from happening, but that the Trump administration has been testing whether government institutions can remain in their proper roles. 

Holder, 67, is currently heading the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a group aiming to mobilize Democrats in states where Republicans control all three branches of government. 

During the interview, Holder also confirmed that he is “thinking about” running for president in 2020, as he remains a fierce critic of the president and his top Justice Department officials.