Republicans have not been shy about showing their disdain towards Attorney General Eric Holder, but a new piece of legislation takes their opposition to uncharted territory.
Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) has introduced a new bill which would deny Holder his government salary on the grounds that he was held in contempt by Congress in 2012.
The House found Holder in contempt because conservatives felt he wasn’t complying with their investigation of the Fast and Furious program, which was operated under the Justice Department.
Farenthold said in a statement: “In 2012, the House of Representatives voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to the botched Fast and Furious gun-running sting operation — despite this fact, he is still receiving his paycheck courtesy of American taxpayers.”
“The American people should not be footing the bill for federal employees who stonewall Congress or rewarding government officials’ bad behavior,” Farenthold added. “If the average American failed to do his or her job, he or she would hardly be rewarded. High-ranking government officials should be treated no differently than everyone else.”
The Washington Post reports that the bill has “little chance” of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate even if it succeeds in the House.