Sounds more like the same old Dog and Pony show to me, otherwise All of these “witnesses” would be Rotting in the Congressional Jail!!
The refusal to answer pertinent questions in a matter of inquiry within the jurisdiction of the
Senate, of course, constitutes a contempt of that body, and by the statute this is also made an offense
against the United States.
The history of Congressional investigations demonstrates the difficulties under which the two
Houses have labored, respectively, in compelling unwilling witnesses to disclose acts deemed essential
to taking definitive action, and we quite agree with Chief Justice Alvey, delivering the opinion of the
court of appeals, “that Congress possessed the constitutional power to enact a statute to enforce the
attendance of witnesses and to compel them to make disclosure of evidence to enable the respective
bodies to discharge their legitimate functions;” and that it was to affect this that the act of 1857 was
passed. It was an act necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers vested in Congress
and in each House thereof. We grant that Congress could not divest itself, or either of its Houses, of
the essential and inherent power to punish for contempt in cases to which the power of either House
properly extended; but because Congress, by the act of 1857, sought to aid each of the Houses in the
discharge of its constitutional functions, it does not follow that any delegation of the power in each to
punish for contempt was involved; and the statute is not open to objection on that account.
Nevertheless, although the power to punish for contempt still remains in each House, we must
decline to decide that this law is invalid because it provides that contumacy in a witness called to testify
in a matter properly under consideration by either House and deliberately refusing to answer questions
pertinent thereto, shall be a misdemeanor against the United States, who are interested that the authority
of neither of their departments, nor of any branch thereof, shall be defied and set at naught. It is
improbable that in any case cumulative penalties would be imposed, whether by way of punishment
merely or of eliciting the answers desired, but it is quite clear that the contumacious witness is not
subjected to jeopardy twice for the same offense, since the same act may be an offense against one
jurisdiction and also an offense against another; and indictable statutory offenses may be punished
as such, while the offenders may likewise be subjected to punishment for the same acts as contempts,
the two being diverse intuitu and capable of standing together.
Probably is just for show, but unfortunately he's about the only weapon we even have right now that has a prospect for actually firing something at the enemy.