President George W. Bush’s controversial nominee to be US attorney general, Michael Mukasey, won the grudging approval of a slim majority of senators on the powerful judiciary committee on Tuesday, virtually ensuring that he will shortly be confirmed by the full Senate to head the Department of Justice.

Two Democrats joined all nine committee Republicans to approve his nomination to head the troubled department. The committee chairman, Patrick Leahy, joined other Democrats in opposing the nomination on the grounds that the nominee has refused to condemn as illegal the controversial interrogation technique known as “waterboarding”, or simulated drowning.