(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) joined his colleagues in voting to hold Attorney General Barr and Secretary of Commerce Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for defying bipartisan subpoenas for documents about the Administration’s efforts to add a discriminatory citizenship question to the 2020 Census. 

“The Census is a pillar of our democracy, enshrined by our Founders in our sacred Constitution to ensure an ‘actual Enumeration’ of the people in our country in a way that is accurate and nonpartisan,” said Rep. Raskin.  “Yet, since day one, the Trump Administration has cynically worked to add a dangerous, discriminatory citizenship question to the Census that threatens to make undercounted and vulnerable communities throughout Maryland  and across the country even more undercounted and vulnerable. Attorney General Barr and Secretary Ross have proven to be fully complicit in the Administration’s unprecedented and unlawful campaign of obstruction over the House’s constitutional oversight responsibilities and must be held accountable.”

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the Administration’s justification for the citizenship question was “contrived” and reflected improper political purposes, which the President has admitted.  New documents now suggest that the Administration actually wanted to add a citizenship question in order to gerrymander legislative districts in overtly partisan, racist and unconstitutional ways.  The Administration continues to refuse provide Congress with the information needed to get to the truth, subverting the law and the processes that Congress passed to ensure the integrity of the Census count.  The documents Congress requested are critical to pass necessary reforms to ensure that this does not happen again.

"I will continue to stand firmly against this Administration’s outrageous disregard for the rule of law and our democratic institutions as I work with my congressional colleagues to advance bold progress on the issues that matter to hard-working Marylanders,” said Rep. Raskin.

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