House panel votes to subpoena Kellyanne Conway over Hatch Act violations

The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday to subpoena testimony from White House counselor Kellyanne Conway after a federal agency recommended that she should be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits the political activities of federal employees.

Chairman Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, has warned that his panel would vote to hold Conway in contempt if she ignores the subpoena. Conway did not appear on Wednesday on the advice of White House counsel for the committee's scheduled hearing.

The vote -- 25 to 16, with Democrats and Rep. Justin Amash, Republican of Michigan, voting in favor -- could set up another challenge in court between Congress and the Trump administration, which has consistently stymied Democrats' oversight efforts since they took control of the House earlier this year.