House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (center) presided over a contempt vote of Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday. Moments after the 23-17 vote, Speaker John Boehner scheduled a floor vote on the matter for next week.
To make his case, Issa read aloud from the book “When Congress Comes Calling,” citing a passage that asserts executive privilege is restricted to communications between the president and his staff.
Democrats on the panel, led by ranking member Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), criticized Issa’s investigation and urged the California Republican to at least delay the contempt proceedings in light of the executive privilege assertion.
The contempt vote came after a last-minute meeting in the Capitol between and Issa and Holder failed to bridge the impasse.
Holder said he offered to produce a key category of documents related to the “Fast and Furious” gun-walking probe but only if releasing the documents absolved Issa’s demands for a broader set of documents that have been subpoenaed.
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
