An ex deputy attorney general was eyed by U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to be the next attorney general, said a report released on Tuesday.

According to the News Week, Eric Holder, who served as deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton, was expected to be the country's first African American attorney general.

Citing two legal sources close to Obama's transition team, the report said that the 57-year-old political veteran has personally accepted the job offer but he "still has to undergo a formal vetting review" before the appointment is finalized and made public.

"The announcement is not likely until after Obama announces his choices to lead the Treasury and State Department," said the magazine.

Holder has served as a superior court judge in Washington D.C. and was named the capital's U.S. attorney. He was appointed as the deputy attorney general in 1997.

Currently, he is a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington and Burling.

During Obama's campaign, Holder helped to vet candidates for the vice president and served as a senior legal advisor for Obama.

He has warned that the country should reverse "the disastrous course" set by President George W. Bush administration by closing the Guantanamo prison and declaring zero tolerance with torture.

Obama transition office has announced several appointees for the White House staff but did not disclose any name on his cabinet post candidates list.

(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2008)