GOP: Hold Up on Holder

Senate Republicans are laying a speed bump on Eric Holder’s route to confirmation as attorney general, Politico reports. Joined by a key Democrat, they're objecting to Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy’s plan to fast track Holder's confirmation, scheduling hearings as early as Jan. 8. Republicans note that more than 100 boxes of Holder-related documents remain unexamined. “There are red flags about Mr. Holder's judgment and independence,” GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley told the Senate yesterday.

Grassley cited Holder's role in Bill Clinton’s pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich, and he raised questions about his work in private practice. Apparently attempting to link Holder to Rod Blagojevich, Grassley claimed that the disgraced Illinois governor tried to hire Holder in 2004.