Obama Gives Emotional Farewell Speech at Holder Event

President Barack Obama praised outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday, saying that the departing Justice Department head would go down in history as one of the agency’s finest leaders.

In an emotional farewell speech to a long-serving confidante and loyalist, Mr. Obama said, “with Eric Holder as its lawyer, America has become a better country—which means that saying goodbye is bittersweet.”

Mr. Holder, who has been a lightning rod for criticism from conservatives during his six-year tenure at the helm of the department, is set to depart as soon as the Senate confirms a successor. Loretta Lynch, Mr. Obama’s nominee to replace Mr. Holder, won some Republican support in a key committee vote this week, paving the way for a confirmation full Senate vote in the coming weeks.