Holder confirmation vote delayed

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General-designate Eric Holder's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee will be delayed, officials said Wednesday.

The committee's Democratic leadership was originally looking to hold a vote on Holder's nomination Wednesday, but Republicans on the committee, who have conducted tough questioning of the nominee, are seeking more time to continue their inquiries, the Washington publication Politico reported.

Holder came under intense scrutiny last week as he was grilled on his views about interrogations, the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison camp and his involvement in former President Bill Clinton's 2001 pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Politico said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is looking to get more information from Holder on whether the Department of Justice under his leadership would pursue criminal prosecutions of "intelligence personnel" involved in detainee interrogations, which critics say have amounted to torture.