House Dems accusations of contempt for Trump officials

House Democratic Committee leaders threaten to condemn senior government officials in contempt of Congress as part of a series of ongoing investigations, a remedy likely to result in fines, or even jail time.

The idea has been launched over the last few weeks by a handful of grassroots members who have accused the administration of obstructing it, but it has gained momentum Tuesday as presidents of several powerful expert groups said that they also envision contempt in a decision. efforts to force the cooperation of witnesses of the recalcitrant administration.

"I promise that we will do everything in our power to enforce our subpoena. I refuse to be in a situation where we are unable to use all the tools we have in our toolbox to do it, "Rep. Elijah CummingsElijah Eugene CummingsTump, family, companies sued to prevent banks from complying with subpoenas House Dems seeks to make Pelosi feel pain Officials should take a page from Tip O 'Neill's playbook MORE (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Monitoring and Reform Committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill. Cummings said that the use of a little-used process, called "inherent contempt", is one of those options.

"We are going to look at all these tools from a very practical point of view," he said. "Maybe we just want to deal with the fines, I do not know. But it's either fines and / or jail time. "

Separately, Reps. Jerrold NadlerJerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerPrivilege jurisprudence favors Trump and not Nadler Some Democrat committee chairpersons have changed their minds about Trump's dismissal 21 questions to Robert Mueller MORE (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffGOP representative to force the vote in the House on the measure returning Cohen's deposition to the Department of Justice for perjury investigation Schiff: The House Committee recommends that the DOJ open an investigation into the testimony of 39, Erik Prince. (D-Calif.), Chief of the Intelligence Committee, met with members of the NDP Coalition on Tuesday morning, where they also discussed the possibility of disregarding a strategy to convince uncooperative representatives to testify.

"I think we need to explore all the mechanisms to insist that the administration complies with the law," Schiff told The Hill. "And that obviously includes litigation, that includes funding for fencing, that may involve the resurrection of the power of inherent contempt."

Under the inherent disregard, the House and Senate have the power to "detain and imprison" a person who refuses to comply with congressional requirements, according to the Congressional non-partisan research service. But such an approach has not been used for nearly a century, and using Sergeant Weapons in the House to take on Trump officials would be a very unusual move.

Trump nonetheless adopted a very unusual strategy when he recently promised to fight all the subpoenas issued by Democrats during their various investigations on the administration. Many Democrats see this tactic as a stalemate, in which the president hopes to escape control by extending the investigations so long that they simply dissolve.

representative Gerry ConnollyGerald (Gerry) Edward ConnollyHouse Dems seek to make civil servants feel pain. Supervised surveillance Dem Dem threatens imprisonment for Trump officials who do not comply with subpoenas Democrats face a trump removal strategy of Trump PLUS 22 (D-Va.), Leading advocate of intrinsic disregard, said it may be the best strategy for Democrats to get information fast enough to be able to exercise the oversight they promised voters when they took control of the House.

"If you care about the timeline and play the watch, you have to bypass the process. And wait two or three years for a court to rule in your favor will not cut it, "said Connolly on Tuesday.That's why the path of contempt makes sense … We can send the sergeant to Arms and you stop and stop.

Connolly, an NDP member, said it was encouraging that Nadler and Schiff had expressed their openness to this aggressive strategy.

"It's not the caucus hotheads who are talking that way. They are ordinary democrats, "he said. "And that should tell you something."

Threats come after at least three government officials fail to comply with Congressional summonses, leaving Democrats frustrated and incited to find other ways to punish those in charge of the administration so as not to extend the judicial battles.

In one of these cases, Cummings threatened to scorn the former White House staff director, Carl Kline, after he challenged a subpoena at the House's request. -Blanche.

The president of the Observatory has however released his threats, agreeing to postpone a vote for contempt of court in exchange for a voluntary interview and transcribed Wednesday with Kline on issues related to security clearances. Cummings pointed out in a letter to Kline this weekend that the scope of the interview will not be limited – a message that he developed on Tuesday.

"It's coming in tomorrow and it only wants to talk about process – what we already know – and does not want to talk about its actions in retaliation, and what happened in these cases, then we go ahead to take all the steps we need to take to enforce our subpoena, "said Cummings.

Their increasingly aggressive attitude stems from uncertainty as to whether the Attorney General William BarrWilliam Pelham Barr Schiff: The House Committee recommends that the DOJ initiate an investigation into the testimony of Erik Prince. The Hill & # 39; s Morning Report – Biden's candidacy under the skin of Trump Trump believes that Mueller's attacks pose little risk. MORE testify before the Judiciary Committee of the House on Thursday as scheduled.

Barr said he would appear but did not agree to sit in camera in front of a special solicitor Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) Swan MuellerSasse: US should applaud Mueller's choice to lead the investigation over Russia MOREReport of the Judicial Committee, according to an assistant of the Judiciary Committee. He also did not agree to be interviewed by committee councils in addition to members of the committee.

Democrats are busy, saying Barr should not dictate the format of congressional interviews.

"It's not up to anyone in the executive power to tell the legislature how to manage our affairs," Nadler told reporters Monday. "There is no ground for that."

If the hearing does not unfold, tensions between Congress and the Department of Justice are likely to worsen and become a fever for the two who are fighting over the authority that holds the government. authority.

"I think we need to look at all the options, because if the administration can get out of hand, then it can engage in corruption or wrongdoing without repercussions," Schiff said.