Judiciary Committee Approves Holder

By: Kevin Hechtkopf
Topics: White House

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Attorney General nominee Eric Holder on a 17 to 2 vote.

Two Republicans voted against Holder in the committee today – Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the panel, announced yesterday he would vote in favor of Holder.

Holder, a former No. 2 official at the Justice Department during the Clinton administration, has come under fire from some for his role in Bill Clinton's end-of-term pardons and whether intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations might be prosecuted.

The nomination now goes forward to the full Senate floor for a vote. It now appears likely he will be confirmed, but the timing of that vote is not yet known.

Kevin Hechtkopf
Kevin Hechtkopf is CBSNews.com's politics editor.
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by ww9000 January 28, 2009 7:27 PM EST: No mention of the report in the Washington Times that Holder got Republican support by means of a backroom promise not to prosecute any Bush administration officials for torture.; Reply to this comment


by mrzerato January 28, 2009 4:00 PM EST: What is Colburn doing on the Judiciary committee? First of all he is a doctor and second of all he is a neanderthal; Reply to this comment


by dburfears January 28, 2009 3:51 PM EST: There will always be throwbacks like Coburn and Cornyn. However, even the tin-hat wearing far right neocons deserve representation. I like having them around. It does everyone some good, even if it mostly serves to remind most Americans why they do not want these wackos running the country.; Reply to this comment


by chetthor January 28, 2009 3:25 PM EST: Is there a conspiracy from the republican side of the aisle? Do they draw straws to deternine who the holdouts will be? If the republicans want to gain votes they are going to have to be more moderate.... most of the country are sick of the far right and proved it at the polls.; Reply to this comment