House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said he plans to bring a resolution to the floor for a vote. The resolution is to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress.
"Next Tuesday, I will bring a resolution to the House Floor forcing Attorney General Barr and former White House Counsel McGhan to comply with the Congressional subpoenas that have been duly issued by the House Judiciary Committee. The resolution will authorize the Judiciary Committee to pursue civil action to seek enforcement of its subpoenas in federal court," Hoyer said in a statement. "It also authorizes House Committees that have issued subpoenas as part of their oversight investigation responsibilities to seek civil enforcement of those subpoenas when they are ignored. This Administration's systemic refusal to provide Congress with answers and cooperate with Congressional subpoenas is the biggest cover-up in American history, and Congress has a responsibility to provide oversight on behalf of the American people."
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) said he plans to bring for a resolution to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt as well. These charges, however, are for the proposed citizenship question slated for the 2020 Census.
"Unfortunately, your actions are part of a pattern. The Trump Administration has been engaged in one of the most unprecedented cover-ups since Watergate, extending from the White House to multiple federal agencies and departments of the government and across numerous investigations," Cummings wrote in a letter.
"The tactics of this cover-up are now clear. The Administration has been challenging Congress’ core authority to conduct oversight under the Constitution, questioning the legislative bases for congressional inquiries, objecting to committee rules and precedents that have been in place for decades under both Republican and Democratic leadership, and making baseless legal arguments to avoid producing documents and testimony," Cummings said.
House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-OH) disagreed with the decision.
"This is yet another wreckless and transparent attempt by Chairman Cummings to interfere with ongoing litigation before the Supreme Court over the 2020 Census," Jordan said in a statement. "Chairman Cummings's interest in the Census is entirely about scoring political points, not conducting meaningful oversight. The Democrats' desperation to affect the outcome of the case raises the question: why don't they want to know how many American citizens are in the United States of America?"
