“These requests appear to be very broad and intersect important First Amendment protections,” said the committee’s chairman, Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia. “Any abridgment of the First Amendment right to the freedom of the press is very concerning.”

Mr. Holder, however, repeatedly noted that he had recused himself because the F.B.I. had interviewed him as one of the officials who knew the information that was leaked to The A.P., which is believed to be about the foiling of a bombing plot involving the Yemen branch of Al Qaeda in the spring of 2012. The decision to approve the subpoena was made by his deputy, James M. Cole.

“I was not the person who was involved in that decision,” he said.

That answer, versions of which he gave in response to multiple questions from Republicans about the leak investigation, did not satisfy committee members, several of whom said they wanted Mr. Cole to appear before the committee and answer questions. Mr. Holder, however, cautioned that since the investigation was continuing, Mr. Cole might not be able to discuss the issue.

Mr. Holder also said that he did not put his recusal in writing, which drew widespread criticism from the lawmakers. Later in the hearing, he said that he had decided to examine whether it would be a better policy to always record when he was transferring his powers to his deputy for a specific matter.

The top Democrat on the committee, Representative John Conyers of Michigan, noted that he had sponsored a version of the Free Flow of Information Act that passed the House twice when it was under Democratic control. He said he would reintroduce his version, too, and he said he hoped that Republicans — who until recently had called for more aggressive investigations of leaks — would support it.