PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Government prosecutors have defended U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s comments in the case of a teenager accused of trying to detonate a bomb at a Portland, Ore., holiday tree-lighting ceremony.
Defense lawyers have asked a federal judge in the case of Mohamed Mohamud to order Holder to quit making what they term inappropriate pretrial comments.
Mohamud is accused of trying to detonate what he thought was a bomb at a Nov. 26 Christmas tree-lighting ceremony. The men he thought were his coconspirators were actually FBI agents, and there was never an explosive device.
In their response this week, prosecutors say the attorney general’s job involves addressing public criticism of law enforcement. Holder has said FBI agents acted properly while investigating Mohamud.
