Two of Trump's embattled cabinet officials were just held in criminal contempt of Congress

Two of Trump's embattled cabinet officials were just held in criminal contempt of Congress
President Donald J. Trump, joined by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, listens as U.S. Attorney General William Barr delivers remarks Thursday, July 11, 2019, in the Rose Garden of the White House to expand on President Trump’s Executive Order requiring every department and agency in the federal government to provide the Department of Commerce with all requested records regarding the number of citizens and non-citizens in the United States. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Daily Kos
July 17, 2019News & Politics

By a mostly party-line vote of 230-198, the House has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas in the House investigation of administration efforts to add a "citizenship" question to the 2020 census. The courts ruled that the administration's stated reasons for adding the question were pretextual; evidence instead suggested Ross and other administration officials sought the new question as means of discouraging minority census responses.

Today's vote marks the first time the House has charged a Trump administration official with criminal contempt. While the vote directs the Department of Justice to take action to compel Barr and Ross to comply with those subpoenas, the Trump administration is expected to refuse to take action.

No Republicans voted for the resolution. Four Democrats voted against.

Report typos and corrections to: feedback@alternet.org.

Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.