WASHINGTON, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) responded today after Attorney General Eric Holder admitted that attacks on former Solicitor General Paul Clement have gone too far.

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Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement resigned from the law firm of King & Spalding after the firm succumbed to attacks from homosexual groups and withdrew from the Defense of Marriage Act case. Paul Clement will continue to represent the House of Representatives and defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA):

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins made the following comments:

"Even Attorney General Eric Holder agrees that the smear and silence campaign against Paul Clement has gone too far. We are also encouraged to see the broader legal community condemn these intimidation tactics as not only distasteful but an affront to America's legal system.

"For the last several years, homosexual activists have managed to frighten most of corporate America into tiptoeing around the homosexual community. These increasing demands for censorship may have finally overreached.

"While we agree with Attorney General Eric Holder that those using intimidation to shutdown debate over policies promoting homosexuality have gone too far, it is President Obama and the Attorney General who created these circumstances. Attorney General Holder abandoned his clients, the American people, just as surely as King & Spalding abandoned their client, the U.S. House of Representatives. Had President Obama fulfilled his constitutional duties to enforce and defend the law, outside counsel would not have been needed.

"We commend Paul Clement for his commitment to legal ethics and his courage in the face of those seeking to shut down any and all public debate," concluded Perkins.

SOURCE Family Research Council