Monday's rare and dramatic move against Attorney General Bill Barr, a sitting cabinet official, intensifies the showdown between President Donald Trump and the Democrats who control the House of Representatives and are seeking to hold him to account for what they say was improper conduct.
"The attorney general's failure to comply with our subpoena, after extensive accommodation efforts, leaves us no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings in order to enforce the subpoena and access the full, unredacted report," House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler said in a statement, after a missed 9:00 am (1300 GMT) deadline.
The committee scheduled a legislative process, known as a markup, to consider a contempt report against Barr beginning at 10:00 am Wednesday. Nadler said he reserved the right to postpone the action should the department present a "good faith offer" for access to the full report and evidence.