The House of Representatives voted 222-208 to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress. Meadows joined former White House advisor Steve Bannon, whom the House also found to be in contempt of Congress.
Tonight, the House voted on a bipartisan basis to hold Mark Meadows, who has key information on the #January6th attack, in contempt of Congress. In doing so, we fulfill our duty to the Constitution and the nation to find the truth of that dark day. pic.twitter.com/KaXBXxoxyM
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 15, 2021
Meadows and Bannon are far from the only people found to be in criminal contempt by Congress. Other big names with the charge include former Attorney General Eric Holder and the website Backpage.com.
Contempt of Congress occurs when a person interferes with Congressional action. Currently, it’s a misdemeanor charge and generally used when people don’t show for Congressional hearings for which they’ve been subpoenaed, or when they don’t provide subpoenaed documents.
Contempt of Congress is a tradition America brought over from British Parliament. In 1917, the Supreme Court affirmed the power in Marshall v. Gordon, ruling “there would be a power implied to deal with contempt insofar as that authority was necessary to preserve and carry out the legislative authority given.”
As the Jan. 6 select committee continues its investigation, the committee has made several threats of contempt charges. But Congress doesn’t have the final say when it comes to charges. In this case, the select committee recommends charges for the full House to vote on. If the House votes to hold a person in criminal contempt it is up to the Department of Justice to prosecute the case.
If DOJ indicts, and there is a conviction, the person will have a fine of $100 to $1,000 and spend one month to a year behind bars.