Holder approved as first black U.S. AG

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate voted 75-21 Monday to confirm Eric Holder, making him the first black U.S. attorney general.

Holder, who held the job on an acting basis in early 2001, will be sworn in Tuesday at the Justice Department, MSNBC reported.

The 58-year-old former federal prosecutor had served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration.

Holder takes over a department beset by various controversies during the Bush administration, including the dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys, allegedly for political reasons, and the department's role in U.S. policy regarding the interrogation of suspected terrorists, CNN said.

"There's a big job to do, and it's going to be Mr. Holder's duty to turn this department around and restore its credibility," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said.

Some Republican senators questioned Holder's fitness to serve as attorney general, citing his role in former President Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.