House votes to hold Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress

Meridian ID

Description

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has now become the second Trump insider to be referred to the Justice Department for criminal contempt of Congress. The full House vote came after the House select committee unanimously voted in favor Monday of holding Meadows in contempt of Congress for failing to appear for a deposition with the select committee. Now it is up to the Justice Department to decide if it will pursue criminal charges against ex-President Trump's former chief of staff. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will need to certify the report to the United States attorney for the District of Columbia. Under law, this certification then requires the United States attorney to "bring the matter before the grand jury for its action," but the Justice Department will also makes its own determinations for prosecuting. Any individual who is found liable for contempt of Congress is then guilty of a crime that may result in a fine and between one and 12 months imprisonment. But this process is rarely invoked and rarely leads to jail time.