Former Attorney General Eric Holder’s foray into a debate on Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Va., quickly elicited reminders of his early stance on convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

It wasn’t long after a white supremacist gathering Saturday turned deadly with the killing of Heather Heyer, 32, that former President Obama’s top cop pronounced the ordeal “domestic terrorism.” Mr. Holder’s assessment of 20-year-old suspect James Alex Fields — who careened his vehicle into a crowd of protesters — prompted backlash by those familiar with the Justice Department’s handling of the Nov. 5, 2009, Fort Hood massacre, which killed 13.

“If ISIS rammed a car into a crowd this would be labeled quickly & logically. Charlottesville — call it what it is, domestic terrorism,” Mr. Holder tweeted Saturday night.

If ISIS rammed a car into a crowd this would be labeled quickly & logically. Charlottesville - call it what it is, domestic terrorism. — Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 13, 2017

Jay Caruso of The Dallas Morning News, among many others, rhetorically fired back as Mr. Holder’s words spread across social media.

“Seriously. It’s not like some guy shot up a military base and people tried to call it ‘workplace violence.’ Oh, wait,” the writer tweeted Sunday.

“Maybe you should sit this one out, Mr. Workplace Violence,” added the popular social media pundit David Burge, aka Iowa Hawk.

“Kind of like you calling the Ft.Hood shooting ‘work place violence’? Take a seat, you’re dismissed,” added another.

Hasan was eventually convicted Aug. 23, 2013, on 13 charges of premeditated murder and 32 of attempted murder.

President Trump condemned white supremacist groups Monday while speaking to reporters at the White House.

“Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Fields was denied bail at an initial court hearing Monday, Reuters reported.

Seriously. It’s not like some guy shot up a military base and people tried to call it “workplace violence.”



Oh, wait…. https://t.co/Os66O7ydXW — Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) August 13, 2017

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