Former Attorney General Eric Holder said President Trump is trying to send a message to people involved in the Russia investigation through his recent pardon for conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza, suggesting democracy is under attack during a speech Friday in New Hampshire.

After the president issued a pardon Thursday, pundits speculated about whether the president was sending a message to Special Counsel Robert Mueller since Mr. D’Souza pleaded guilty to charges of an illegal campaign contribution — an allegation lobbed at Mr. Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen for hush money paid in 2016 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had an affair with the president.

The president is also considering pardoning domestic doyenne Martha Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 of lying to the FBI, similar to his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and former Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich, who is serving time for corruption.

“If you use all the typical metrics we use in the Justice Department … very few of these people would be considered good candidates for pardons,” Mr. Holder said.

But, he added, “It won’t ultimately thwart the Mueller investigation.”

Mr. Holder himself is not immune from criticism surrounding pardons. He has admitted to not going through the proper pardon procedure when he served as deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton with regard to businessman Marc Rich, who was convicted of income tax evasion, among dozens of other charges, in 1983.

Rich’s wife had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to then-Senate candidate Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Library, sparking accusations the pardon was bought.

Mr. Holder, who said he would make a decision next year about whether he’ll run for president in 2020, spoke during a political event at St. Anselm College, where he predicted a blue wave in November’s midterm elections.

But the former attorney general warned partisan gerrymandering by Republicans could lead to unfair election results.

He said the will of the American people has been thwarted by partisan gerrymandering efforts, which have pushed Republican lawmakers further and further to the right.

The potential 2020 presidential candidate told the New Hampshire voters he and President Obama are attempting to challenge districting maps in areas where they think unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering has taken place.

“Politicians are picking their voters,” Mr. Holder said. “If we have these reform measures in place where you have nonpartisan commissions who will draw the lines in 2021, I think that’s the best thing.”

He specifically criticized President Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions for pushing to ask whether someone is a citizen on the U.S. Census, suggesting it’s another way to suppress the immigrant community.

“There is really no need to have that on there,” Mr. Holder said. “This is an effort to suppress the vote.”

He said America’s democracy is under attack, and so is the notion of one person, one vote.

“We can look at the way in which the rule of law is under attack in regards to the Russia investigation,” he said.

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