House Dems Consider Using Sergeant-At-Arms To Arrest Those Defying Subpoenas From Jan. 6 Committee

With the Justice Department seeming to slow-walk criminal referrals sent from the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection for those who have refused to comply with subpoenas for the committee, Democrats are now looking closely at an alternative way to enforce the power of their subpoenas.

According to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), it may be time to go back to having the House Sergeant-at-Arms detain anyone who defies a subpoena.

During an appearance on MSNBC Monday, Connolly explained how the process would work:

“So we used to have a process, until 1930, from the beginning of the republic to 1930, in which Congress enforced its own compulsory testimonies. That meant that, if necessary, we sent the Sergeant-at-Arms… and arrested people and detained them until the cooperated with the congressional subpoena.”

Keep in mind the DOJ has yet to move on the criminal referral for contempt of Congress that was issued against former Trump administration aide Steve Bannon. That referral was made on October 20, and yet Bannon still walks free.

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace asked Connolly if he’d “seen enough” of the DOJ’s lack of action when it comes to indicting Bannon. The congressman replied:

“I think the Justice Department takes too long. And I think the courts take too long.”

There’s an old expression most of us have probably heard since we were children: Justice delayed is justice denied. That could not be more true in the case of what transpired at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The longer we are forced to wait for answers, the longer it will take to punish those responsible and formulate solutions to make sure such a horrific thing never takes place again in this country.

Here’s Congressman Connolly on MSNBC: