Republicans Delay Holder Nomination

Evan Perez reports on the Justice Department. A day after Washington was awash in conviviality and vows of a new bipartisan spirit, Republicans forced a delay to the scheduled confirmation vote for Eric Holder , President Barack Obama ’s nominee for attorney general. The one-week delay, Republicans said, would help address several concerns, including lingering questions over controversies that date back to his time in the Clinton administration as well as whether the Obama Administration plans to pursue criminal prosecutions related to terror detainee interrogations that Holder has characterized as torture. At a tense, short Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter , the top Republican on the panel said he wasn’t ready to yield on unspecified questions that he believes Holder hasn’t fully answered. Specter said he planned to meet Holder on Friday afternoon, during which he hoped Holder could provide the information he needs. Some Republican ... (link)