The House January 6th Inquisition voted to recommend holding former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark in criminal contempt for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena.
The committee voted 9 to 0 to hold him in contempt, with support of the panel’s two Republicans: Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
Prior to the vote, Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said Clark agreed to continue his deposition, which he said would have to take place on Saturday. But, the panel went ahead with the vote, saying it was needed to keep pressure on Clark to fulfill his obligations under the subpoena and that the committee would re-evaluate after his testimony, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The vote sends the matter to the full House of Representatives. If the vote moves forward, it could then head to the Justice Department for possible prosecution.
Clark appeared for a deposition on November 5th, but left before it was finished and declined to answer questions or turn over documents.
Conviction for contempt of Congress could result in a fine and jail time of up to one year.
“We will not allow anyone to run out the clock, and we will insist that he must appear on this Saturday,” Thompson said. “This committee and this House must insist on accountability in the face of that sort of defiance.”
