Congressman Cohen Votes to hold Attorney General Barr and Commerce Secretary Ross in Criminal Contempt of Congress

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, today voted to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for their willful failure to comply with lawful subpoenas and document requests. The vote was 230 to 198.

Afterward, Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"Bill Barr didn't even show up to testify before the House Judiciary on May 2, 2019, in complete defiance of a lawful subpoena. Congress is a co-equal branch of government and it's our job to make sure that laws are faithfully executed. Wilbur Ross withheld evidence about the real reason the Administration wanted to add the citizenship question to next year's U.S. Census. Neither of these public officials are above the law and both are required to comply with subpoenas so Congress can conduct meaningful oversight of this administration. The bottom line is that the American public deserves answers and we will get them."