Contemptuous

John Conyers starts the process in motion:

The House Judiciary Committee voted contempt of Congress citations Wednesday against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and President Bush's former legal counselor, Harriet Miers.

The 22-17 vote — which would sanction for pair for failure to comply with subpoenas on the firings of several federal prosecutors — advanced the citation to the full House.

A senior Democratic official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the House itself likely would take up the citations after Congress' August recess. The official declined to speak on the record because no date had been set for the House vote.

This is the House Judiciary Committee doing what they've been forced to do. The White House is openly thumbing its nose at any kind of normal processes between the branches of government. There's nothing else to do.

Now we see what happens when the US Attorney for DC demurs (at the Justice Department's insistence) to prosecute. Will they cite inherent contempt charges and throw these lawbreakers in the Congressional pokey (there is a jail on the premises)?