President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice for attorney general is Eric Holder, a former No. 2 Justice Department official in the Clinton administration and Obama campaign aide who would become the first African American to serve as the nation’s chief lawyer.

The Obama transition team has gone so far as to ask senators whether they would confirm Holder, who reviewed Clinton’s controversial pardon of fugitive Marc Rich just leaving office, an Obama official and people close to the matter said Tuesday.

But the Obama official said the decision has not been finalized, and transition spokesmen said no decision has been made.

Holder did not return messages seeking comment Tuesday. Asked Monday by The Associated Press whether he expected to be nominated, he responded in an e-mail: “Who knows?”

One person involved in the talks said the Obama team has received some assurances that, while the pardon would certainly come up during hearings, the nomination likely wouldn’t be held up.

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