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Last week, Sen. Burr’s office told at least two different outlets that he would not hold up Thomas Walker’s nomination to be U.S. Attorney for North Carolina’s Eastern District.

"I do think that Senator Burr does plan to sign his blue slip and move the process forward with the nomination," David Ward, a Burr spokesman, told Foxnews.com. A News & Observer story also cited Ward as saying Burr would move the nomination forward.

However, Burr’s office put out a statement today saying that he would hold up the nomination until investigations related to former Gov. Mike Easley and former Sen. John Edwards were concluded. Those investigations are now under the direction of George Holding, a Republican appointee who Walker would replace.

Is this a change in position for Burr?

“No, he has not changed his position at all,” Ward told me this afternoon. Ward said that Burr supports Walker’s nomination and typically the senator does not talk about the nomination process.

“As we were moving along, he decided we needed to clarify our position and let everyone know where he was on this,” Ward said. Burr will sign the blue slip – an internal Senate mechanism that allows the Judiciary Committee to go forward with confirmation hearings – once the investigations are concluded.

Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who also supported Walker, was asked two weeks ago whether she would withhold Walker’s blue slip. At the time, she did not answer one way or the other but emphasized that Holding should be allowed to finish his investigations. She reiterated that today.

“Senator Hagan maintains her position regarding the U.S. Attorney situation,” spokeswoman Stephanie Allen said. “As she wrote to the President in July, she believes George Holding should be allowed to finish his investigations of former public officials. She is continuing to impress this upon the Administration, as she did in a conversation this week with the Attorney General.”