'Hannity' Investigates Shocking New Scandal Involving Eric Holder
Eric Holder
SEAN HANNITY  HOST:  Attorney general nominee Eric Holder  may meet some heavy resistance when  his  nomination hearings begin tomorrow. Now  he  could again face tough questions about  his  involvement in the controversial pardons during  his  days in the Clinton administration  but another problem is also emerging.
 His  connection to a company with ties to a known terrorist organization during  his  years in private practice. Lets take a look.
HANNITY: After seven years of lining the pockets of terrorists  Chiquita admitted their wrongdoing to the Justice Department and hired and extremely influential man to bail them out  former deputy attorney general   Eric Holder.
  Holder  had left the DOJ after the Clinton administration and was now in private practice. On March 19  2007  with  Holder  as lead counsel  Chiquita pleaded guilty to one count of  quote  "engaging in transactions with a specially designated global terrorist organization."
 Holder  then brokered what some call a sweetheart deal in which Chiquita only had to pay a $25 million fine over five years  yet not one of the half dozen company officials who approved the payments would receive any jail time.
HANNITY: Ironically   Holder 's stance on the criminal case contrast part of a 1999 document that he wrote while at the Justice Department  a document that became known as the "Holder Memorandum."
HANNITY: In a 2007 Washington Post article  Holder  made the case for not charging individuals  quote  "If what you want to encourage is voluntary self-disclosure  what message does this send to other companies?"
VICTORIA TOENSING  FMR. DEPUTY ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's no conflict whatsoever. The " Holder  Memorandum" talks about the law as it has been ever since I've known it  for decades  and that is that if â the prosecutor decides to indict the corporation  the prosecutor can also decide to indict individuals.
It wasn't  Eric Holder  who decided that. It was the Justice Department.
HANNITY: But what is raising the most eyebrows is the argument that  Holder  made as lead attorney in the ongoing civil case against Chiquita.
According to court documents  Holder  wanted the case dismissed  because  quote  "There is no clearly defined rule of international law prohibiting material support of terrorism."
HANNITY: And even some  Holder  critics say  his  argument may actually hold up.
ANDY MCCARTHY  NATIONAL REVIEW CONTRIBUTOR:  He 's not saying that terrorism doesn't exist or that there's not a definition under American law of terrorism.  He 's saying that there is not a universally recognized material support to terrorism claim that can be brought under that civil statute.
 Holder  had already been mired in controversy stemming from  his  involvement in President Clinton's last-minute pardons  and just last week the highest ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee suggested that as deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton  he  was all too willing to do the president's bidding.
HANNITY: Confirmation hearings are set to begin on Thursday  so will  Eric Holder's representation of Chiquita  a company guilty of funding terrorists   raise questions about  his  fitness to be the top law man in this country?
SEAN HANNITY  HOST:   [TGT] may meet some heavy resistance when   [TGT]   nomination hearings begin tomorrow. Now   [TGT]   could again face tough questions about   [TGT]   involvement in the controversial pardons during   [TGT]   days in the Clinton administration  but another problem is also emerging.
  [TGT]   connection to a company with ties to a known terrorist organization during   [TGT]   years in private practice. Lets take a look.
HANNITY: After seven years of lining the pockets of terrorists  Chiquita admitted their wrongdoing to the Justice Department and hired and extremely influential man to bail them out   [TGT] 
 [TGT]   had left the DOJ after the Clinton administration and was now in private practice. On March 19  2007  with  Holder  as lead counsel  Chiquita pleaded guilty to one count of  quote  "engaging in transactions with a specially designated global terrorist organization."
 Holder  then brokered what some call a sweetheart deal in which Chiquita only had to pay a $25 million fine over five years  yet not one of the half dozen company officials who approved the payments would receive any jail time.
HANNITY: Ironically    [TGT]  's stance on the criminal case contrast part of a 1999 document that he wrote while at the Justice Department  a document that became known as the "Holder Memorandum."
HANNITY: In a 2007 Washington Post article   [TGT] made the case for not charging individuals  quote  "If what you want to encourage is voluntary self-disclosure  what message does this send to other companies?"
VICTORIA TOENSING  FMR. DEPUTY ASST. ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's no conflict whatsoever. The "  [TGT] Memorandum" talks about the law as it has been ever since I've known it  for decades  and that is that if â the prosecutor decides to indict the corporation  the prosecutor can also decide to indict individuals.
It wasn't  Eric Holder  who decided that. It was the Justice Department.
HANNITY: But what is raising the most eyebrows is the argument that   [TGT] made as lead attorney in the ongoing civil case against Chiquita.
According to court documents   [TGT]   wanted the case dismissed  because  quote  "There is no clearly defined rule of international law prohibiting material support of terrorism."
HANNITY: And even some   [TGT]   critics say   [TGT]   argument may actually hold up.
ANDY MCCARTHY  NATIONAL REVIEW CONTRIBUTOR:   [TGT]  's not saying that terrorism doesn't exist or that there's not a definition under American law of terrorism.   [TGT]  's saying that there is not a universally recognized material support to terrorism claim that can be brought under that civil statute.
  [TGT] had already been mired in controversy stemming from   [TGT]   involvement in President Clinton's last-minute pardons  and just last week the highest ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee suggested that as deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton   [TGT]   was all too willing to do the president's bidding.
HANNITY: Confirmation hearings are set to begin on Thursday  so will   [TGT] raise questions about   [TGT]   fitness to be the top law man in this country?