WASHINGTON -- Rep. Bobby Scott said Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder's replacement need not to be a person of color, but rather simply a solid appointment to lead the Department of Justice, "because [Supreme Court Justice] Clarence Thomas is a person of color."
Justice Thomas, who is black, is frequently criticized in Democratic circles for his conservative stances on social and legal issues.
Holder, who will stay in his job until his replacement is named and confirmed, announced Thursday that he was resigning his post.
"I was disappointed [by Holder's resignation] obviously because he's done such a good job," Scott told BuzzFeed News Thursday evening during an awards reception hosted by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Asked specifically if he believed President Obama should nominate another person of color, Scott downplayed the importance of race. "I think we need a good Attorney General who will enforce civil rights, voting rights, and I think [that's] much more important" than another minority taking the job.
"People that can do that good a job are hard to find," he added.
Scott is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.