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The Velveteen Ocelot

(130,558 posts)
13. Being held in contempt of Congress doesn't get a person fired automatically.
Tue Jun 13, 2017, 11:43 PM
Jun 2017

That would be up to whoever hired them in the first place. What happens is that the contempt citation gets referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia who refers it to a grand jury. So it isn't a simple matter. The penalty could be between one and twelve months in jail and a fine of $100 - $1,000.

Eric Holder was held in contempt of Congress - the only executive branch official in history.

"In October 2011, 7,600 pages of documents were released that Issa claimed may have indicated Holder was sent memos in regard to Operation Fast and Furious earlier than he at first claimed, contradicting Holder's sworn testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in which he said he only recently became aware of Operation Fast and Furious in the first half of 2011. In April 2012, Issa announced that his committee was drafting a Contempt of Congress resolution against Holder in response to the committee being "stonewalled by the Justice Department." On June 19, 2012, Issa met with Holder in person to discuss the requested documents. Holder said he offered to provide the documents to Issa on the condition that Issa provided his assurance that doing so would satisfy the committee subpoenas and resolve the dispute. Issa rejected the offer. .. On June 20, 2012, the Oversight Committee voted 23–17 along party lines to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for not releasing documents the committee had requested....

Although this vote was not directly relevant to gun legislation, the National Rifle Association announced that they would be scoring the contempt vote, due to Holder's previous stances on gun control legislation, placing political pressure on Democrats that wished to avoid repercussions from the gun lobby. On June 28, 2012, Holder became the first U.S. Attorney General in history to be held in both criminal and civil contempt. He was held, by a bipartisan vote, in contempt by the House of Representatives in a 255–67 vote, with 17 Democrats voting for the measure, 2 Republicans voting against the measure.The remaining Democrats refused to vote and marched out of the House, led by Nancy Pelosi, as a means of protesting the actions of Republicans. Holder responded to the vote, describing it as "the regrettable culmination of what became a misguided and politically motivated investigation in an election year....

President Obama and the Justice Department declined to prosecute the attorney general on the contempt charge citing executive privilege."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Holder

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Probably the federal district court for D.C. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #1
Is that where the Nixon trials were? bresue Jun 2017 #3
Yes. Judge John Sirica was the presiding judge. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #5
Thank you. bresue Jun 2017 #6
Federal courts usually don't permit trials to be televised. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #11
good questions.... chillfactor Jun 2017 #2
Yes, very confusing... bresue Jun 2017 #4
Subpoena him to testify again, then hold him in contempt marylandblue Jun 2017 #7
If he is found to be in contempt...is he fired or does he go directly to jail? bresue Jun 2017 #10
Being held in contempt of Congress doesn't get a person fired automatically. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #13
Some of the Watergate defendants were tried at the same time. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #8
And can Trump fire the judge? Generic Brad Jun 2017 #9
No, absolutely not. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #12
I'd like to know why the hold up? Jacquette Jun 2017 #14
Prosecutors have to build a case before proceeding. The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #17
That is wearing....thin. Jacquette Jun 2017 #19
Have you ever been involved in a federal investigation of a white collar criminal case? The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #20
I see damage being fdone Jacquette Jun 2017 #21
I get that. But I don't know how to make it happen any faster The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2017 #22
Logically I get what you're saying. Jacquette Jun 2017 #23
I agree! Drip, Drip, and Drip....but the sink is not getting full... bresue Jun 2017 #24
You also have to consider there may be no case to bring justiceischeap Jun 2017 #25
Mueller's appointment is explicit. Calista241 Jun 2017 #29
Probably Alexandria Va. which has been looking into the 2016 election Historic NY Jun 2017 #15
I had read that the Grand Jury was already in place in VA... kentuck Jun 2017 #16
Yes it has. Historic NY Jun 2017 #18
Louise Mensch has reported that indictments were issued in EdVA a month ago Not Ruth Jun 2017 #26
Would it not be wonderful if we got verification of that? bresue Jun 2017 #27
The Marshal of the Supreme Court told Trump that he was under impeachment last month Not Ruth Jun 2017 #28
Are you actually posting this un-ironically? tritsofme Jun 2017 #30
Issued by whom, exactly? WHO indicted whom??? jmg257 Jun 2017 #31
Claude Taylor reports obstruction, unjust enrichment and 2 years to prosecute Trump Not Ruth Jun 2017 #32
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