RNC Chairman Reince Priebus demands Holder resign

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Tuesday demanded that Attorney General Eric Holder resign after the Justice Department’s seizure of phone records from reporters working for the Associated Press.

The DOJ secretly obtained records for more than 20 office, home and cellphone lines over a period of two months in an investigation into leaked information. Journalism groups, lawmakers and free speech advocates have roundly criticized the "unprecedented" seizure.

The Hill reports that Priebus said Holder is responsible for DOJ "spying" on AP reporters.

"Because Attorney General Holder has so egregiously violated the public trust, the president should ask for his immediate resignation. If President Obama does not, the message will be unmistakable: The President of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press."

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that the White House had "no knowledge" of DOJ's actions, making for a trifecta of problems for an administration still dealing with the IRS targeting conservative groups and its handling of the Benghazi Consulate attack.