Attorney General Eric Holder said during a recent interview that he thinks the Koch brothers should be applauded for contributing money to hire lawyers for the poor.
In a question-and-answer session with
The Marshall Project, Holder, who will be leaving the Obama administration once his replacement is confirmed, was asked whether he had any reaction to the billionaire libertarian political donors and philanthropists giving to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
"That's a good thing to hear: people from very different places along the ideological spectrum understanding that we have to make our criminal justice system more fair," Holder said.
"There's a justice gap, and to hear that the Koch brothers would be contributing money in that way is something that I think should be applauded," he said.
Holder noted that it has been 51 years since Gideon v. Wainwright, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that requires states to provide attorneys for defendants who can't afford one. Still, Holder said, many indigent defendants are not getting their needs met.
Charles and David Koch don't generally get praise from the Obama White House, as their political contributions lean more toward Republican candidates. They also contribute to the arts and humanitarian causes.