Published May 14, 2013
FoxNews.com
FILE - In this April 18, 2013 file photo, Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Justice Department has secretly obtained two months of telephone records of journalists for The Associated Press in what AP's top executive says is an unprecedented intrusion into newsgathering. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File)
DEVELOPING: Attorney General Eric Holder is recusing himself from the investigation into leaks made to The Associated Press, Fox News has learned.
Holder is scheduled to comment on the matter during a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
The Associated Press reported Monday evening that the Department of Justice had secretly obtained phone records involving as many as 20 reporters and editors in an effort to find out who leaked confidential information to it.
It was not known if Holder authorized or even knew about the investigation.
The White House said Tuesday that it had no knowledge of the investigation and referred all inquiries to the Justice Department.
"The president is a strong defender of the First Amendment," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said during a press conference. "He also of course recognizes the need for the Justice Department to investigate alleged criminal activity without undue influence."
"I cannot and he [President Obama] cannot comment specifically on an ongoing criminal investigation," Carney said.
Republicans, meanwhile, are calling on Holder to resign following news of the probe.
"Freedom of the press is an essential right in a free society," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.
"The First Amendment doesn’t request the federal government to respect it; it demands it," Priebus said. "Attorney General Eric Holder, in permitting the Justice Department to issue secret subpoenas to spy on Associated Press reporters, has trampled on the First Amendment and failed in his sworn duty to uphold the Constitution."
Mike Levine contributed to this report.
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