By Gloria Ogbonna
MSNBC contributor and former Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill said Monday on “The Weeknight” that momentum is building across party lines to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in inherent contempt of Congress, arguing that lawmakers from both Republicans and Democrats believe the law has not been followed.
McCaskill emphasized that the issue transcends partisan politics, pointing to the overwhelming congressional support behind the law in question. “You know, we have a vote of Congress,” she said. “I think there was one member of the House who voted against this law and maybe one senator. I don’t remember the exact number, but the point is clear — Congress spoke with one voice.”
According to McCaskill, the dispute centers on compliance with a legal requirement to release certain files in full. She argued that the Department of Justice has fallen far short of that mandate.
“This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans,” she said. “This is about a decision that it all comes out. Under the law, they were supposed to release all of it. Instead, they released less than 5% of the files they say they have. Less than 5%.”
McCaskill also questioned the administration’s priorities, noting what she described as a selective use of federal resources. “By the way,” she added, “they were able to marshal enough FBI agents to scour all these files earlier this year, specifically looking for Trump’s name.”
She suggested that once former President Donald Trump was informed by Attorney General Bondi that his name appeared throughout the documents, there was resistance to making the files public. “Obviously, Trump didn’t want them released once he was told by Pam Bondi that his name was all through them,” McCaskill said.
As a result, McCaskill predicted that lawmakers from both parties are increasingly likely to support inherent contempt proceedings — a rarely used but powerful congressional enforcement tool
. Unlike criminal contempt, inherent contempt does not require the involvement of the courts. “It doesn’t have to go to a court,” she explained. “It just takes a vote of the House.”
If such a vote succeeds, McCaskill said, Congress would have the authority to impose daily fines on the attorney general until compliance is achieved.
“They can start fining Pam Bondi an amount every single day until she follows the law,” she said, underscoring the seriousness of the growing bipartisan frustration.
McCaskill concluded by stressing that the situation reflects a broader concern about accountability and adherence to congressional mandates — one she believes could unite lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in the days ahead.
Source Breitbrat
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