Nine Republicans joined Democrats in voting to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot.
The group of GOPers willing to go along with the Democrats includes the usual suspects – favorite lap puppies of the Democrat Party, Representatives Adam Kinzinger (IL) and Liz Cheney (WY), as well as others who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.
Representatives Anthony Gonzalez (OH), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA), John Katko (NY), Peter Meijer (MI), and Fred Upton (MI), like Kinzinger and Cheney, voted for impeachment and to hold Bannon in contempt.
Surprise additions to the House select committee’s maneuver were Representatives Nancy Mace (SC) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA).
Houses passes resolution to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress, 229-202, largely along party lines,
9 Republicans voted for the measure:
Cheney
Fitzpatrick
Gonzalez (OH)
Katko
Kinzinger
Mace
Meijer
Upton
Herrera Buetler— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) October 21, 2021
RELATED: Amid Bannon Contempt Threat, Kinzinger Warns Trump Subpoena On The Table: ‘He’s Not Off Limits’
The Republicans Who Voted To Hold Steve Bannon In Contempt
Bannon defied the subpoena based on executive privilege claims by the former President.
With the full House voting to advance the recommendation of criminal contempt of Congress, the matter now heads to the Justice Department for final determination.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the DOJ will “apply the facts and the law and make a decision” when it comes to the referral.
Attorney General Merrick Garland says @TheJusticeDept will follow the law on Steve Bannon contempt resolution and the House’s referral. pic.twitter.com/42JlePxEwJ
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 21, 2021
It’d be interesting to know if those Republicans who went along with the contempt vote for Steve Bannon did so as support for the House committee charade, or if they have an eye on 2022.
With Republicans expected to make major gains in the House and Senate, subpoena power for committees they control could be critical moving forward.
Mace conceded this point, which admittedly is a good one.
“I want the power to subpoena,” she told reporters.
“When we start investigating some of the crises that are facing the Biden administration right now — whether we’re talking about the border or the botched exit from Afghanistan — there are a lot of things that I’m going to want to investigate when we’re in the majority,” added Mace.
Mace explains why she voted to hold Bannon in contempt: @RepNancyMace @NancyMace pic.twitter.com/rkL51Eueny
— Emily Brooks (@emilybrooksnews) October 21, 2021
RELATED: Kinzinger: Republicans Need To Stand Up To Trump Just Like Flight 93 Did To Terrorists On 9/11
Sacrificed Their Futures?
Whether or not Mace and the other will face backlash from Republicans is another question.
According to an Axios report on the 9 Republicans who voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt, they view themselves as having made a great sacrifice.
“A small contingent of House Republicans risked their political futures on Thursday, they say, in the name of constitutional responsibility,” Axios writes.
The 9 Republicans “are now in peril of becoming political pariahs,” opening themselves up “to potential primary challengers and public attacks” from Trump.
Once again, we find out which Republicans are establishment squishes, including @NancyMace https://t.co/gbNmUgwBy7
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 21, 2021
Yes, they’re all heroes in their own minds.
Just ask Kinzinger, who recently suggested anybody standing up to Trump and his former aides are just as heroic as Todd Beamer and the heroes of Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves to thwart an attempted terrorist attack on the Capitol on 9/11.
No, sadly, I’m not kidding.
“People have to stand up and say this is wrong,” said Kinzinger of Bannon’s defiance. “We’ve got to – if you think about heroics on Flight 93 that saved the Capitol in 2001, it wasn’t Todd Beamer alone.”
“It was everybody standing up and saying we’ve had enough,” he added. “We’re going to sacrifice ourselves to do this, and right now we need more Republicans to stand up, and lead your people.”
Even if the Justice Department is considering bringing charges against Bannon, the process is rarely invoked and rarely leads to jail time.
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