Holder led Waldholtz fraud investigation

Eric Holder, who has accepted an offer to become Barack Obama's attorney general, has ties to two old, big Utah news stories that created national headlines in their time.

In one, Holder investigated and ultimately helped convict Joe Waldholtz, then the husband of Rep. Enid Greene , R-Utah, for fraud. The other was an investigation by then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, into Holder's role into questionable pardons by Bill Clinton.

In 1996 when Holder was the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, he led an investigation into Waldholtz that led a grand jury to indict Waldholtz on 29 counts of bank fraud. Waldholtz ultimately would be convicted of fraud and serve time in federal prison. He had been accused of check kiting, faking being a millionaire and even using financial fraud to help fund Greene's campaign.

Holder never charged Greene herself with any crimes, but she chose not to seek re-election amid the scandal with Waldholtz (whom she divorced).

In 2001, Hatch led hearings into controversial, last-day-in-office pardons by Bill Clinton and Holder's role in them as the deputy attorney general at the time.

That included Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, who had fled the country amid conviction of tax evasion and illegal trading with Iran. Hatch attacked that, noting at the time that Rich's wife "reportedly pledged $450,000 to the Clinton presidential library and gave expensive furniture to the president at the end of his term. These gifts and donations raise obvious questions that deserve an answer."

At hearings led by Hatch, Holder testified he knew Rich was a fugitive — but had not opposed his pardon when other administration officials told him it could bring foreign policy benefits because the prime minister of Israel was pushing for Rich's pardon.

He told the hearing, "As you can see from these facts, attempts to make the Justice Department, or me the 'fall guys' in this matter ... are rather transparent and simply not consistent with the facts." Not much came from Hatch's hearings and attacks —but it is likely Holder will again face questions about those pardons now in confirmation hearings before the same Judiciary Committee.

E-mail: lee@desnews.com