Members of a Senate committee looking into the bankruptcy of Texas-based Steward Health Care have adopted two resolutions designed to hold CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt for not testifying before the panel.

Members of a U.S. Senate committee looking into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care adopted two resolutions Thursday designed to hold CEO Ralph de la Torre in contempt — one for civil enforcement and another for criminal contempt — for not testifying before the panel.

The votes come after de la Torre refused to attend a committee hearing last week despite being issued a subpoena. Both resolutions will be sent to the full Senate for consideration.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said de la Torre’s decision to defy the subpoena gave the committee little choice but to seek contempt charges.

  • @logos
    3•4 hours ago

    The resolution for civil enforcement of the subpoena instructs the Senate legal counsel to bring a lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Columbia to require de la Torre’s testimony before the committee.

    The criminal contempt resolution would refer the matter to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to criminally prosecute de la Torre for failing to comply with the subpoena.

    They can just ignore the law and nothing happens.