Unless you’re brain dead you know there is a huge battle going on between the House of Representatives and the White House. The House is gleaning information (evidence) in an attempt to impeach Donald J. Trump and Donald J. Trump is stonewalling in every way he can.
Traditionally the House could turn to federal prosecutors but since the AG is behaving as if he were Trump’s personal attorney there’s not much chance of resolution via that route.
A second option would be taking Trump to court but that is a very slow, drawn-out process.
There are, however, at least two other options left to the House. They could refuse to pay anyone refusing to comply with House subpoenas or, the could find that person in contempt of Congress and have the House Sergeant at Arms arrest them. There is president for arrest and the Supreme Court has upheld the House’s power. Instead of me explaining it, I came across an article in the New York Times that in a couple of paragraphs does it better. So, check this out:
“Refusal to comply with a duly authorized subpoena from Congress constitutes contempt of Congress. Contempt of Congress is a crime, and there is a mechanism for referring such cases to federal prosecutors. The problem, of course, is that federal prosecutors answer to the attorney general and, through him, to the White House, and they refuse to prosecute contempts committed by executive officials. In recent decades, congressional houses have sought a court order requiring executive officials to comply with their subpoenas, but that has all the problems described above.
The House should instead put back on the table the option of using its sergeant-at-arms to arrest contemnors — as the person in violation of the order is called — especially when an individual, like Rudy Giuliani, is not an executive branch official. Neither house of Congress has arrested anyone since 1935, but it was not uncommon before that point (and was blessed by the Supreme Court in 1927). Indeed, on at least two occasions, the second in 1916, a house of Congress had its sergeant arrest an executive branch official.”
Exerted from NYT article by