The authority of Congress to hold someone in contempt was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1821. In 1857, Congress passed a statute declaring contempt of Congress a crime against the United States.
Standing committees of Congress have the authority to compel testimony or the production of documents. Refusal can lead to a contempt citation which requires a vote by the appropriate chamber of Congress. The Sargent of Arms of the chamber is authorized to arrest and bring the cited individual to the chamber to answer charges. Punishment can be a fine or jail.
How that actually gets enforced is a matter of some debate. In recent years, contempt has been referred to the Justice Department (less likely when the Justice Department is unfriendly to Congress or its head is the subject of the contempt citation.). Last exercised in 1935 and brought to a conclusion, the US Postmaster was convicted of destroying subpoenaed documents with a penalty of a 10 month jail sentence.
Recent history of contempt citations includes
- The House not considering a 2016 vote by the Oversight Committee to hold Bryan Pagliano, IT Director for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for failing to appear.
- The House finding Lois Lerner, Director of the IRS in contempt in 2014 for refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee
- The House finding Rita Lavelle, EPA official, in contempt of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in 1983 for lying to Congress. She was later convicted, given 5 years of probation and fined $10,000
- The House finding Anne Gorsuch (mother of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch) in contempt of the Committee on Public Works in 1982. After an Executive Branch lawsuit was dismissed, she produced the required documents.
And so it goes.