Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said Wednesday the House won’t take up a contempt measure against anyone in the Trump administration before the Memorial Day recess, which would push off any action until June at the earliest.
Hoyer, told reporters Democrats are waiting to “take an inventory,” of more contempt charges against Trump administration officials related to the president’s refusal to fully cooperate with sweeping House investigations by six different committees.
The Judiciary Committee last week voted to cite Attorney General William Barr with contempt of Congress for refusing to provide Congress with the unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Panel Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said he is readying a contempt charge for Don McGahn, Trump’s former White House counsel, if McGahn refuses to testify at a May 21 hearing.
The Ways and Means Committee has subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig for Trump’s tax returns, which could lead to two more contempt votes.
“The president has made a blanket statement that he is not going to cooperate with any subpoenas,” Hoyer said. “We don’t want to do it just individually.”
Hoyer said he does not anticipate it will be address this month, adding lawmakers are waiting to see “how many specific refusals there will be.”
Hoyer called it “a very serious matter,” and that House Democrats want to send a message to the public that Congress will not accept the lack of cooperation from the Trump administration.
“That’s not acceptable in our constitutional system,” Hoyer said.
