Senate panel postpones contempt votes

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- A U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee vote on contempt resolutions was postponed Thursday after objections by the committee's ranking Republican member.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., objected to the language in the contempt resolutions against former White House adviser Karl Rove and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, The Hill reported Thursday.

Committee rules allow for a one-week delay, so the vote will likely take place next Thursday. If approved by the committee, the resolution would trigger a full Senate vote on the resolutions early next year.

"There is considerable concern on my side about the structure of the citation," Specter said Thursday. "It would be my hope that we could negotiate some intervening language."

He said the resolutions depend too heavily on findings in a Democrat-led investigation into the firings of several U.S. attorneys last year, the newspaper reported.

Citing executive privilege, President George W. Bush has refused to allow current and former White House officials from testifying on the matter before Congress.

Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., agreed to work with Senate Republicans on the resolution, and said he is pressing for the contempt citations only after spending months trying to work with the White House.