65 Democrats recorded no votes and 108 Democrats didnt cast votes.
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. The House of Representatives by a margin of 255-67 voted Thursday afternoon to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to disclose internal Justice Department documents in response to a subpoena. Attorney General Eric
Holder issued a statement saying the contempt vote may make for good political theater in the minds of some but it is - at base - both a crass effort and a grave disservice to the American people..
Whatever the path that this matter will now follow it will not distract me or the men and women of the Department of Justice from the important tasks that are our responsibility Holder said.
It was the first time in American history that Congress has imposed that sanction on a sitting member of a presidents cabinet.
Seventeen Democrats bucked party lines and voted with Republicans to pass the criminal contempt resolution.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) joined by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and many other Democrats staged a walkout during the
vote as Democrats charged the GOP with staging a witch hunt against Holder that demeans the lower chamber.
Pelosi said during the debate that she would join the walkout and told Democrats its up to them whether to stay and vote against the resolution or leave.
House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) pushed that resolution as part of his 16-month investigation into a botched Fast & Furious gun-tracking operation.
Only two Republicans voted no on the measure while 65 Democrats recorded no votes and 108 Democrats didnt cast votes. Most of them were protesting the fact that the House GOP was holding the vote.
The vote followed an acrimonious and politically charged debate. Many Democrats accusing Republicans of railroading the motion to inflict political damage on the Obama administration during an election year.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made a rare appearance on the floor to call for support for the resolution.
I dont take this matter lightly and I frankly hoped it would never come to this Boehner said about an hour before voting started.
But no Justice Department is above the law and no Justice Department is above the Constitution which
each of us has sworn an oath to uphold he said. So I ask the members of this body to come together and to support this resolution.
Before the final vote the House rejected a motion from Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) to recommit the resolution to Issas committee. That motion failed 172-251 after which dozens of Democrats left the chamber.
At the center of the feud between the DOJ and Issa is a letter the department sent last year to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) stating that it does everything in its power to stop guns from going to Mexico.
Ten months later the DOJ took the rare step of withdrawing the letter because it contained false information.
