[JURIST] Following up on a story reported yesterday afternoon on JURIST's Paper Chase, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee [official website] late Thursday postponed until next month its scheduled confirmation vote on the nomination of John Bolton [official profile] as US ambassador to the United Nations [US Mission to the UN official website] after a Republican senator stunned colleagues by asking for more time to consider the nomination. Senator George Voinovich [official website] of Ohio said that "I don't feel comfortable about voting for Mr. Bolton" because arguments made by Democrats, who oppose the nomination, persuaded him to take more time to consider the matter. During last week's confirmation hearings, allegations [JURIST report] were made that Bolton was a "serial abuser" of lower-level officials who challenged his views, prompting Democrats to argue that Bolton's behavior makes him unsuitable for the UN post. Bolton has also been criticized less aggressively on some of his harsh views of the UN as an institution. Without support from all 10 Republicans, the 18-member committee seems likely to remain deadlocked preventing Bolton's nomination from advancing to the full Senate. Reuters has more.

2:55 PM ET – White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Wednesday that Senate Democrats are trumping up "unsubstantiated accusations" against John Bolton as part of their efforts to derail his nomination. McClellan said that the White House is confident that Bolton's nomination will ultimately be confirmed by the Senate. Reuters has more.