House Democrats unveiled a resolution they plan to vote on Tuesday that would cite Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn with contempt of Congress.
The measure, certain to pass, will provide the authority for House committees to pursue in federal court witness testimony and materials they have been unable to get from Barr and McGahn.
Democrats will not vote to hold either man in criminal contempt.
That resolution would have ended up at Barr’s Justice Department, which would have very likely rejected it, as it has in most recent past cases.
Democrats also backed down on a threat to find either man in inherent contempt, which would have authorized Congress to levy fines and even enforce jail time.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., described the move to send the case to court as “the efficient approach to civil enforcement.”
Democrats, many of them pushing for an impeachment inquiry, are eager to make their case against Trump on the House floor Tuesday and the resolution will provide that chance.
“We will not allow this president and his administration to turn a blind eye to the rule of law,” said McGovern, who authored the resolution, said in a statement Thursday.
McGovern noted in his statement the contempt resolution leaves the House floor open for legislation, unlike an impeachment inquiry, which could consume the calendar for weeks.
“The Trump administration is waging an unprecedented campaign of stonewalling and obstruction on issues the American people care about, including its attack on healthcare, its inhumane family separation policy, and the countless egregious examples laid out in the Mueller report,” he said. “Enough is enough. This resolution will allow Congress to hold the president accountable while this Democratic majority continues delivering on issues like healthcare and jobs.”
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Democrats, voted last month to hold Barr in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the unredacted Mueller report into alleged Russian collusion with the 2016 Trump campaign.
The panel planned to hold a contempt vote for McGahn for failing to provide materials and testimony they are seeking.
That action has been forwarded straight to the House floor.
Barr is prevented by law from turning over the redacted portions of the report. McGahn has been ordered by the Department of Justice to refrain from cooperating with the Democrats because the information pertains to his time as top White House counsel.
