The House of Representatives voted to hold Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress over their refusal to comply with subpoenas related to the effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The 230-198 vote is a step toward allowing the House to go to court to get the records lawmakers are seeking. Both Ross and Barr will also be referred to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution, but the department, which is headed by Barr, is unlikely to pursue that. The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from adding the question late last month. This article has been updated with comment from the Justice Department.

Source: Huffington Post July 17, 2019 23:15 UTC