Both lawmakers are from South Carolina, one of several states that have tried to implement a strict law requiring photo ID in order to vote -- and have been blocked by Holder's Justice Department. 

Pelosi, in a press briefing on Thursday, linked that effort to the ongoing campaign by Republicans to call a contempt-of-Congress vote against Holder for allegedly failing to cooperate in their probe of Operation Fast and Furious. 

"They're going after Eric Holder because he is supporting measures to overturn these voter suppression initiatives in the states. This is no accident. It is no coincidence. It is a plan on the part of Republicans," Pelosi said. 

Though the theory did not gain much traction among other Democrats, Pelosi and the rest of the caucus were uniformly critical of Republicans' actions against Holder. 

Carney called the latest developments "political theater."