Article snippet: The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after last-minute negotiations stalled with the Justice Department over access to the full, unredacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Democrats, who hold a majority in the House of Representatives, control the committee. But what exactly does it mean to be held in contempt of Congress? Here’s a brief explanation. Since the committee held Barr in contempt, it is the first step in what could be a protracted, multipronged court battle between Congress and President Trump’s administration. Since the committee approved the contempt resolution against Barr, it will now head to the full House for a vote. If the House were to pass the resolution, it would send a criminal referral to the US attorney for the District of Columbia or the Department of Justice. Practically speaking, neither of those parties would probably move forward with prosecuting Barr. Democratic House leaders could also file a lawsuit against the Justice Department to obtain the Mueller report, though the case could take months or even years to resolve. Some committee members have suggested they also could fine Barr as he withholds the information, which is spelled out in a contempt of Congress statute from 1938. Congress also holds what the Congressional Research Service calls a “dormant” inherent contempt power. Under that rule, which has been upheld by the Supreme Court, Co... Link to the full article to read more