Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) today became the second prominent Republican to suggest that Attorney General Eric Holder resign over his handling of terrorism cases.

Sarah Palin (America.gov)

Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said on “Fox News Sunday” ^[1] that “sure, he should” resign, “because of the way that we are treating these terrorists and allowing them our constitutional rights when they don’t deserve them.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who holds the No. 3 GOP leadership position in the Senate, last week said Holder should consider stepping down ^[2] for similar reasons.

Conservatives have been critical of the administration’s decision to charge the alleged Christmas Day bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, criminally rather than put him in military custody for interrogation.

Senators have sent several letters to the Attorney General condemning the decision to treat Abdulmutallab as a civilian. Read our previous reports on three of the letters here ^[3], here ^[4] and here ^[5].

Last week, Holder defended his handling ^[6] of the alleged bomber in a letter to Republican senators. The Attorney General said his decision was “fully consistent” with the practices and policies of the federal government.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was critical ^[7] of Holder’s response and has demanded the Attorney General explain himself before a congressional hearing, which is expected to take place next month.

But in a brief interview with Main Justice in the Capitol last week, Sessions stopped short of suggesting Holder should resign, saying only that he’s been “disappointed” in some of the Attorney General’s decisions.

“I supported Eric Holder for Attorney General. He was a former Deputy Attorney General and former federal judge. And I felt like he would be able to stand firm on these issues. I have been disappointed,” Sessions said.

“The Attorney General has been exceedingly wrong on trials of terrorists. This is not a little bitty matter. It’s a very large error and it’s got to be reversed. If he becomes a roadblock, not only does he hurt the president politically, but he definitely subjects himself to intense criticism and those kinds of comments,” Sessions added.