Representative Scott Rigell voted to hold US Attorney General Eric Holder in civil contempt this week and has called for his resignation.
Those are facts. The media isn’t putting that in headlines, but the fact remains clear. A yes on a civil contempt charge and a call for resignation.
Where Rigell draws the line is in charging criminal contempt at the same time as Congress is charging civil contempt. In other words, should Congress use all its tools all at once?
Then what?
We charge him with super contempt?
I spoke with the Rigell office today, and they made it very clear. Scott Rigell believes in progressive discipline. Charge civil contempt and initiate judicial proceedings. If that doesn’t yield results, you would then have to option of the next step. That’s a business approach kind of thinking, and that’s where I believe Rigell was going here.
It isn’t about partisanship. It was about ratcheting up the steps to gain compliance.
It isn’t about being soft on Holder. After all, Rigell asked for his resignation.
It’s about holding Holder in civil contempt of Congress, and saving criminal contempt for the next step.
Rigell might not have had a lot of Congressmen standing with him, but I understand his thinking. I wish the press would as well.
