Media Matters also assisted the staff of Attorney General Eric Holder in diffusing stories that were critical of the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ). DOJ Office of Public Affairs Director Tracy Schmaler and MMfA writer Jeremy Holden exchanged e-mails just prior to his publication of an article attacking two former DOJ Civil Rights Division attorneys for their writing on the New Black Panther Party voter intimidation scandal. Another MMfA writer, Matt Gertz, requested help from Schmaler in writing stories on the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal. E-mails also reveal that the two likely spoke over the phone prior to Gertz reporting on the Trayvon Martin shooting, which was highly critical of the National Rifle Association.