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It's the first time in history the House of Representatives is voting to hold the highest-ranking American law official in contempt of Congress, and since Eric Holder's current predicament is so new and different, you're probably wondering what to expect. Here's our guide.
The allegedly contemptible: Attorney General Eric Holder
Why he's so contemptuous: The Department of Justice has handed over more than 7,000 documents related to the ATF's Fast and Furious operation, but the House Oversight Committee wants 1,500 more. Committee chair Darrell Issa alleges the operation allowed guns to be trafficked to Mexican cartels, that the guns were used to kill American border agent Brian Terry, and that the government made the operation flawed on purpose in order to advance the case for gun control. But as Fortune's Katherine Eban reported Wednesday, there's no evidence that the government ever intentionally allowed gangsters to get their hands on guns. And Issa has never made public the emails that he says show government officials thought the operation could make the case for gun control.
Will a majority vote to hold him in contempt? Probably. It's expected to be a mostly party-line vote, and Republicans have a majority.