U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says a vote by a House of Representatives committee to hold him in contempt was "unwarranted, unnecessary and unprecedented."

Holder says he believes that a negotiated solution can be found, and the assembly "has to consider (...) what they will do and we'll see how it works out. "

The White House reacted sharply Wednesday to the party-line vote that came after President Barack Obama invoked executive privilege in refusing to turn over documents related to Operation Fast and Furious, which sent illicit arms into Mexico. A vote by the full House could come next week.

Holder spoke Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting with European Union officials in Copenhagen, Denmark, which holds the rotating EU presidency.