Liberal talk radio host Bill Press calls for Holder to be fired

by Justin Sink - 05/16/13 11:55 AM ET

Talk radio host and former chairman of the California Democratic Party Bill Press said Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder should be fired over the subpoena of reporter phone records.

I still haven’t heard a legit justification for the subpoenaing the AP phone records. They didn’t notify AP, they didn’t narrow search.

— Bill Press (@bpshow) May 16, 2013

What “breach of national security” are we talking about re the AP story? It’s BS and Holder should be fired.

— Bill Press (@bpshow) May 16, 2013

For people who say that Holder was “just doing his job,” he didn’t “do his job” by going after Cheney or Bush. He left THAT alone!

— Bill Press (@bpshow) May 16, 2013

With his tweets, Press becomes one of the first prominent liberal voices to call for the dismissal of Holder over the records seizure.

{mosads}The Justice Department said in a letter to The Associated Press on Friday that it had gathered records on at least 20 office, cell phone, and home phone numbers — including the AP’s desk in the House of Representatives press gallery.

The AP believes the records seizure was related to a leak investigation regarding a 2012 story about the CIA foiling a bomb plot in Yemen. The Obama administration has aggressively investigated the disclosure of classified anti-terror information in recent years, subpoenaing journalists from The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Earlier this week, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus also said Holder should resign over the controversy.

“Attorney General Eric Holder, in permitting the Justice Department to issue secret subpoenas to spy on Associated Press reporters, has trampled on the First Amendment and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution,” said Priebus in a statement.

“Because Attorney General Holder has so egregiously violated the public trust, the president should ask for his immediate resignation. If President Obama does not, the message will be unmistakable: The President of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press,” he added.

Holder told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he had recused himself from the investigation and did not have details of the subpoena.

The White House on Wednesday asked Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to reintroduce a media shield law that would provide reporters greater protection from criminal prosecution and phone records seizure.

Press is a columnist for The Hill.

Tags Chuck Schumer Eric Holder