What will be the consequences of being held in contempt? Will he be fined? imprisoned? Removed from office?
This excerpt from the WSJ is the best answer I’ve seen to your question......
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[ ... Should the House hold him in contempt, Mr. Holder would be left with three choices: standing by as a U.S. attorney begins prosecuting him; directing the U.S. attorney not to prosecute him; or invoking executive privilege to justify not releasing the documents Congress seeks.
There are huge downsides to all three. Let’s take them one by one.
A sitting attorney general under federal prosecution would be fatally weakened, with his continuing presence in the job a fat target for the president’s political opponents. On the other hand, ordering a U.S. attorney not to prosecute him suggests a massive conflict-of-interest, not to mention conveying that he has something to hide. Ditto for “executive privilege.” Not only does executive privilege have a tainted history, it couldn’t be invoked without admitting that the White House is also implicated in Fast and Furious. ...]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303836404577474922406534442.html