Holder contempt what does it mean

The first type of contempt power is a citation of criminal contempt of Congress. This power comes from a statute passed by Congress in Once a committee rules that an act of criminal contempt has occurred, the Speaker of the House or Senate President refers the matter to the appropriate U.

But if the case goes to a grand jury, fines and a jail term could result from the ensuing criminal prosecution. The second type of contempt power comes in the form of a civil lawsuit brought by the House or Senate, asking a court to enforce a subpoena. The Senate and its committees are authorized to bring such a lawsuit under a federal statute. There is no similar statute that applies in the House, but the federal district court in Washington, D. Inherent contempt was the mode employed by Congress to directly enforce contempt rulings under its own constitutional authority until criminal and civil contempt statutes were passed, and it remained in use into the twentieth century.

In a walkout led by the Congressional Black Caucus, more than a hundred Democrats left the House chamber in protest, rather than staying to officially register their disapproval. The C. The message has transferred over to Holder as well. Holder issued a statement calling the vote "a crass effort and a grave disservice to the American people," while the White House derided it as "a transparently political stunt.

Despite the chest-thumping on both sides, the flap might still end in a negotiated settlement -- a technique often used to avoid court hearings. With the exception of the contempt vote, Holder has gotten some good news on Fast and Furious in the last two days. The Associated Press reported on emails showing Holder demanding answers from inside the Justice Department, including one in which he wrote, "We need answers on this.

Not defensive BS. Real answers. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. Popular Latest. The other option, and more likely, is that House Republicans will move forward on civil charges. If House Republicans pursue this option, some documents may be turned over, but this would likely be long after public interest has waned.

The civil case against Miers and Bolten was resolved in , after Bush had gone into retirement, and the public -- and political -- notice given was minor. Obama's assertion of executive privilege also makes it slim investigators will get what they want, too.

This Congress will be out of office and Obama may be out of office. If they wind up going to court, it will actually be to the great detriment of the House's oversight role.

And all of this will occur as the details of Fast and Furious are subject to greater scrutiny. Katerine Eban of Fortune reported Wednesday that instead of intentionally allowing guns to walk, the ATF's Phoenix office was instead paralyzed by incompetence, internal conflicts and weak gun laws that allowed smugglers to move freely.

Though, in at least one case, an ATF agent reportedly used taxpayer money to buy pistols for a weapons trafficker.