WASHINGTON -- U.S. Justice Department chief Eric Holder is under pressure amid allegations that he and his department have spied on journalists.

In a major scandal grabbing U.S. daily headlines, Attorney General Holder is accused of what critics describe as snooping on the Associated Press(AP) and Fox News and then allegedly misleading Congress about it.

Journalists and lawmakers continue to express outrage over the Justice Department's secretly obtaining two months of phone records from the Associated Press, including its reporters' home phones and cell phones.

Days after the AP scandal broke out, it emerged that the Justice Department had gained access to the email accounts of Fox News reporter James Rosen.

In testimony to the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month, Holder said he had not been party to a criminal investigation against a reporter, saying the "potential prosecution of the press" was unknown to him.

Later, however, U.S. media reported that in 2010 Holder had approved a decision to request a search warrant for the email accounts of Fox's Rosen.

On Wednesday, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Rep. James Sensenbrenner penned a letter to Holder arguing U.S. media coverage appears to be "at odds with your sworn testimony."

White House Spokesman Jay Carney defended Holder on Wednesday, saying that the attorney general had testified accurately, adding that there is a major distinction between naming a journalist as a co-conspirator and actually charging him with breaking the law.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he has the utmost confidence in Holder continuing his duties.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West said the investigation is problematic for Obama because Holder has upset many of the reporters who cover the White House.

"They feel that this attorney general is out of control and engaging in overly-zealous pursuit of news leakage," he told Xinhua. "When reporters are upset, they are going to write critical stories about the administration."

While there are no signs that Holder will be relieved of his job as head of nation's law enforcement, that may not hold true in the long term.

"I think Eric Holder's job is safe for now because the president has spoken strongly in favor of the attorney general. But I wouldn't assume that his job is secure in the long-run," West said.

Even under the best of circumstances, it is unusual for an attorney general to serve as long as Holder has, as few have served longer than five years.

"After the initial furor over the leak investigations dies down, I can see Holder leaving to pursue other options," West said.

"He hasn't been a distinguished attorney general and he has become a serious lightning rod for the president," he added.

Fox News analysts have claimed the administration is waging a war against the conservative network in retaliation for its scrutiny of the White House on a number of issues.