House Democrats Are Prepared to Hold William Barr in Contempt of Congress. What Does That Mean? Wednesday vote. It seems to me Congress is WASTING their time trying to hold William Barr in Contempt of Congress and if Congress gets their way can President Trump decline to prosecute citing executive privilege like Obama did for Eric Holder? "Obama declined to prosecute Holder, citing executive privilege." Anybody know? "What are the consequences of being held in contempt? Under the contempt of Congress statute, a person found guilty of “willfully” failing to comply with a subpoena can be punished with imprisonment for UP TO ONE YEAR and a MAXIMUM $1,000 fine. In the past, the House has also used the RARELY invoked “inherent contempt” method. Lawmakers technically have the power to arrest and detain people who refuse to comply with subpoena requests, according to the Congressional Research Service. It’s an option that gives broader powers than the criminal contempt statute because it can also be used in response to actions that are seen as “obstructing” Congress’s legislative power. Lawmakers have LARGELY ABANDONED the practice of using the “inherent contempt” option since the 1930s, but they still have the right to detain a person in an effort to speed up their access to the requested information. Only one sitting Attorney General has been held in contempt of Congress. A Republican-controlled House held Attorney General Eric Holder, who served during the Obama Administration, in contempt of Congress in 2012 over his failure to provide documents for a congressional inquiry into an operation called “Fast and Furious,” a failed program run by an Arizona division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives which allowed guns to be sold to Mexican drug gang members. Obama declined to prosecute Holder, citing executive privilege." http://time.com/5585039/democrats-william-barr-contempt-of-congress/