The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection will meet next Tuesday to vote on a recommendation to cite Steve Bannon for criminal contempt and refer the case to the U.S. Attorney for prosecution.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) tweets: “Christmas presents were never late when President Trump was in charge.”

Headline from January 2021: “A month after the holidays, some people are still getting Christmas packages in the mail.”

Punchbowl News: “Pelosi is in deal mode, you can see it, but the rest of her party isn’t there yet. Pelosi has been trying to mediate a compromise between her moderate and progressive factions. She’s been upping the pressure on both groups, urging them to find common ground. It hasn’t worked so far. But, to be fair to Pelosi, it never works until the moment it does.”

“That’s because Pelosi is a realist. She knows something is better than nothing. She’s also keenly aware that the clock is ticking and an agreement has to be reached very soon. It will take weeks to turn any bicameral deal into actual legislative text, and there undoubtedly will be more haggling along the way. Getting a reconciliation package through Congress by Thanksgiving would be an achievement at this point; Christmas feels more doable. And Democrats will be forced to respond to the new debt limit and government funding deadlines by that point.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the chairman of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, would not rule out subpoenaing former President Trump, The Hill reports.

“Trump ally Steve Bannon failed to show up for a deposition before the Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday, paving the way for the House panel to seek criminal charges against him for defying a congressional subpoena,” Axios reports.

“It’s the first major test for how the committee will respond to witnesses’ refusal to cooperate, an obstacle that stalled countless Democratic investigations during the Trump era by triggering protracted legal battles.”

“House progressives urged Speaker Nancy Pelosi to keep all proposed policies in President Joe Biden’s economic plan, but keep them in place for fewer years to reduce costs,” CNBC reports.

“Democrats are deciding whether to cut entire programs or reduce their timeframes — or some combination of both — to cut the proposal’s $3.5 trillion price tag and appease centrists.”

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), who just announced his own retirement, told Punchbowl News that Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) is “agonizing” over whether to run for re-election.

“Trump ally Steve Bannon’s game of chicken with the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill riot is on the cusp of entering a new and critical phase Thursday as he faces his last chance to reverse course and comply with the panel’s subpoena before lawmakers likely move to seek criminal charges,” CNN reports.

“If Bannon is a no-show, the committee is expected to immediately begin seeking a referral for criminal contempt after the subpoena deadline passes — essentially making an example of Bannon’s noncompliance as the House seeks more witnesses.”

“The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol on Wednesday subpoenaed a former Justice Department lawyer who played a key role in then-President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election,” NBC News reports.

“The subpoena seeks sworn testimony and records from Jeffrey Clark, the former acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division, by Oct. 29.”

Punchbowl News: “It was the latest move in an accelerating probe by the select committee.”

“The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is planning to ramp up its efforts to force Trump administration officials to comply with its subpoenas as the former president attempts to stymie the inquiry,” the Washington Post reports.

“Lawmakers who sit on the panel said they are prepared to pursue criminal charges against witnesses like Stephen Bannon who have balked at cooperating. And the committee may issue a subpoena as early as Wednesday to Jeffrey Clark, a Trump Justice Department official who sought to deploy department resources to support former president Donald Trump’s false claims of massive voting fraud in the 2020 election.”

Said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “We are completely of one mind that if people refuse to respond to questions without justification that we will hold them in criminal contempt and refer them to the Justice Department.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) friends “think twice these days before texting the Florida Republican congressman,” Insider reports.

“Gaetz is the subject of a Justice Department corruption probe that involves a sex trafficking investigation… So when Gaetz’s friends and associates communicate with the congressman, they’re mindful of the possibility that Uncle Sam is watching them.”

Said one friend: “They know that there’s a massive investigation going on. That makes people hesitant to reach out.”

Said another: “It’s a natural sort of reaction. No one wants to inject themselves into anything while there’s 16 dozen people looking into everything that comes into that phone.” 

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) told Reuters that the House Select Committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol will move criminal contempt charges against those who do not comply with its subpoenas.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) “is under renewed scrutiny after a Senate report released last week provided fresh details about Perry’s role in helping former President Donald Trump try to overturn the 2020 election,” CNN reports.

“The report cites Perry more than three dozen times and includes details about his phone call with the No. 2 official at the Justice Department and an email Perry sent afterward with alleged evidence of fraud.”

“Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) reelection campaign sent out a fundraising email criticizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) comments about negotiating a lower price tag on the Democrats’ social spending package,” The Hill reports.

Said Jayapal: “Democrats should not be negotiating against themselves.”

Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY), chairman of the House Budget Committee, announced that he will not be seeking re-election.

Politico: “He’s the fifth House Democrat to announce his retirement as the party faces an uphill battle to keep its majority in the 2022 election.”

When a chairman leaves voluntarily, it’s usually because he thinks his party is about to lose the House.

“Nine months have elapsed since metal detectors were installed outside every entrance to the House Chamber, spurred by the trauma of the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol and fears of Republicans bringing guns onto the floor,” Insider reports.

“But now, even some Democrats have grown tired of their presence.”