Congress and contempt: What you need to know

The House on Tuesday is poised to pass a resolution authorizing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) to go to court to enforce congressional subpoenas for Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn.

Democratic lawmakers have largely portrayed the vote as one that will hold Barr in civil contempt. But the resolution does not mention contempt, and it differs from past contempt resolutions that sought federal prosecution of officials who failed to comply with congressional subpoenas.

As lawmakers vote on the resolution, here is what you need to know.

What are the different kinds of contempt in Congress?

Lawmakers have different pathways to try and force individuals to comply with congressional subpoenas.

A committee can vote to hold a person in criminal contempt, as the House Judiciary Committee did with a resolution passed last month that targets Barr and McGahn.

But that measure is on hold after Nadler announced Monday he had struck a deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for lawmakers on his committee to view some of the unredacted Mueller report materials.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/447967-congress-and-contempt-what-you-need-to-know?userid=229233