Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Monday dismissed any concern that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder’s confirmation process would be haunted by the pardon of Marc Rich.

Speaking at a press conference to praise President-elect Barack Obama’s nominations, Leahy singled out Holder as “a longtime friend” and an “especially fitting” choice to lead the Justice Department. He predicted Holder’s involvement in the 2001 pardon of Rich — a fugitive commodities trader granted clemency on President Bill Clinton’s last day in office — would play only a minor role in the upcoming hearings.

“We all know President Clinton was going to give that pardon,” Leahy said. “It wouldn’t have made any difference what Eric Holder or anybody else said … I don’t think that President Clinton should have [given] the pardon, but I don’t blame Eric Holder for that.”

Rep. Lamar Smith (Texas), the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, is not sharing Leahy’s view.

“The nomination of Eric Holder to be attorney general is a surprising pick for a president-elect who claims that he is bringing ‘change’ to Washington,” Smith said in a statement. “Eight years ago, Holder was at the center of some of the most controversial pardons granted by a president in U.S. history.”

Smith added that an attorney general “must put the interests of justice above everything else, including the desires of the president."

“By assisting in the Clinton pardons, Holder acted in his own interests, not those of the Justice community,” Smith stated. “I am deeply concerned by this selection and urge the Senate to carefully review Mr. Holder’s record at the Justice Department, especially his role in these pardons.”

Leahy, a former prosecutor, said Holder’s qualifications were far more important than the pardon issue. He noted that President Ronald Reagan had appointed Holder to a judgeship on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and he was confirmed unanimously before becoming a U.S. attorney for the District and later deputy attorney general from 1997 to 2001.

Holder is especially worthy to lead the department, Leahy said, because it has an image problem of having become too partisan during the Bush administration. Leahy said Holder would take the opposite approach, taking the necessary first steps toward repairing the damage.

“We’re finally going to take a misshapen, disturbed, distorted Department of Justice and we’re going to have somebody to put it back together,” Leahy said. “Eric Holder is the one person in this country who I believe can do that.”

Leahy also emphasized Monday that he will use his Judiciary Committee perch to continue to probe the Bush administration’s actions regarding torture and the politicization of the Justice Department, and that he has discussed this with both Holder and Obama.

“Torture is going to be a major issue,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much we hurt our image abroad. We have got to change that, so all of that will be reviewed.”

Leahy said he will decide on specific oversight hearings once he receives the White House’s reply to a subpoena he had filed and once the confirmations of Holder and Obama’s other appointments are finished.

He noted that the make-up of the Judiciary Committee will need time to change, given the departures of Vice President-elect Joe Biden and the likely additions of more Democrats and fewer Republicans.

Leahy told reporters he plans to reach out to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, to gauge any concerns about Holder from GOP ranks.

Last month, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the state’s former attorney general, said Republicans will pursue a “thorough” vetting of Holder.

"As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I'll have the opportunity to get into some detail and ask him questions, and I look forward to the confirmation process," Cornyn said. "Everything is open. It's not like a judge where they can't commit to particular views, so there's nothing off the table."