Holder: Terrorist Lawyers Are 'Patriots'

Two weeks after a conservative group disparaged Justice Department lawyers who previously represented terror suspects, Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday weighed in for the first time, calling such lawyers "patriots."

“Those who reaffirm our nation’s most essential and enduring values do not deserve to have their own values questioned,” Holder told a group of lawyers who offer "pro bono," or voluntary, legal services. "Let me be clear about this: Lawyers who provide counsel for the unpopular are, and should be treated as what they are: patriots."

The crowd, gathered to honor Holder with an award from the Washington-based Pro Bono Institute, erupted in applause.

For months the Justice Department had been refusing to identify seven politically-appointed attorneys who previously represented or advocated for terror suspects.

On March 2, a conservative group led by Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, released a video condemning the Justice Department for its "secrecy."

"So who did President Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder, hire?" the group, Keep America Safe, said in the video. "Whose values do they share?"