INTERFERENCE: Rep. Matt Gaetz urges contempt charges for New York prosecutor
House Republicans ignored subpoenas during the January 6th investigation, but they want to use contempt charges as a weapon now that they have the power.
Representative Matt Gaetz just announced that he’s planning to initiate another contempt hearing, this one for former New York prosecutor Mark Pomerantz.
Pomerantz left the Manhattan District Attorney’s office because he felt that there was sufficient evidence to indict Donald Trump, and was frustrated that it wasn’t happening.
Congressional Republicans subpoenaed Pomerantz to answer questions about the investigation, and while he made the requisite appearance, he refused to answer most questions, explaining that he had been warned of potential prosecution if he divulged confidential information.
He pled the Fifth Amendment, which protects a witness’s right not to incriminate himself.
Now Gaetz and his cohort want to punish Pomerantz for exercising that right — although several of his Congressional pals refused to comply with subpoenas during the January 6th investigation.
Pomerantz at least appeared as he was required — Representatives Kevin McCarthy, Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, and Andy Biggs simply refused to participate in the investigation of the attack on Congress. Gaetz argues:
“I believe Mr. Pomerantz engaged in misconduct in his targeting of President Trump, and his refusal to answer simple questions should not go unpunished. If he fails to comply with the congressional subpoena, then the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives must summon him by force.”
Pomerantz was doing his job as a prosecutor by investigating Trump and making recommendations based on the evidence, and contrary to what Gaetz implies, did comply with the subpoena by appearing.
Four of the five Members of Congress mentioned above were referred for ethics violations during the January 6th investigation, with Brooks escaping that effort because he was leaving Congress, according to Politico.
None have faced any consequences.
The Committee also referred multiple individuals for contempt charges for actually ignoring subpoenas, and the Department of Justice agreed to indict only two of these, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon.
In other cases, the DOJ declined to press charges — as they’ll likely do with the transparently frivolous charges against Pomerantz, and the similarly fatuous one against FBI Director Christopher Wray, who Congressional Republicans say they’ll still hold in contempt after he caved to pressure and allowed them to see a confidential document.
