(CNN) Attorney General Bill Barr asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi jokingly if she brought her handcuffs to an event the two public figures were attending on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning, according to two sources familiar with the exchange, in an apparent reference to the House considering holding the attorney general in contempt.

Barr and Pelosi were attending the National Peace Officers Memorial Day service at the Capitol on Wednesday when the exchange occurred. The two were in a holding tent adjacent to the platform, awaiting the President's arrival.

The quip was an obvious reference to the fact that the House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Barr in contempt of Congress, the latest volley in a fight between President Donald Trump's administration and House Democrats over oversight.

One source said Pelosi, "not missing a beat, smiled and indicated to the attorney general that the House sergeant-at-arms was present at the ceremony should an arrest be necessary."

Barr, the source said, "chuckled and walked away."

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