Attorney General Eric Holder To Resign

White House official says Attorney General Eric Holder is resigning.

Sources tell NPR Holder will leave his post as the head of the Justice Department as soon as his successor is confirmed.

NPR's Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson broke the story and tells Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson  the announcement was not a huge surprise.

"We've always known Eric Holder did not intend to stay for two full terms of the Obama administration," Johnson said. "I'm told the deal was sealed in a lengthy conversation at the White House over Labor Day weekend."

Holder has been recognized for his efforts to use his position to move civil rights forward.

"Remember that Eric Holder in early February 2009 — not long after he was confirmed as Attorney General — made a very controversial speech for Black History month in which he talked about this country as being a nation of cowards in talking about race," Johnson said. "But the country has turned around to have that conversation now."

However, Holder's tenure has also been marked by tumult.

The Republic-led House held Holder in contempt for failing to provide information about the"Fast and Furious" gun program -- in which the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lost track of guns it was using to track Mexican cartel members.

Holder will stay as the leader of the Justice Department until a successor is named.