Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) might not have the votes in his own committee to hold Attorney General Eric Holder Eric Himpton HolderThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on Trump: 'He'll leave' l GOP laywers brush off Trump's election remarks l Obama's endorsements Obama endorses Warnock in crowded Georgia Senate race The Hill's Campaign Report: Trump's rally risk | Biden ramps up legal team | Biden hits Trump over climate policy MORE in contempt of Congress.

A number of Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are wary of moving forward with Issa’s proposed measure, putting the powerful chairman in an awkward position as he attempts to build support for the move.

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Two of the committee’s 23 Republicans have declined to support the measure at this point, while five other GOP panel members did not respond to repeated requests for comment over the last two weeks.

When compared with the 16 Republicans on the committee who have actively been speaking in favor of the measure, the silence, lack of outspoken support and desire by these eight GOP caucus members to avoid the issue could be a problem for Issa.

Republican leadership has been hesitant and reluctant to voice its support for Issa’s move, possibly owing to the chairman’s inability to guarantee the measure’s passage in his own committee.

For more than a year, Issa has fervidly investigated the Justice Department’s (DOJ) role in approving controversial “gun walking” tactics used in Operation Fast and Furious. Issa has regularly hinted that the tactics must have been approved at the highest levels of the DOJ and in October issued a second subpoena for thousands of documents and records in an attempt to discover who was involved.

Issa says the DOJ has stopped producing documents for the committee and is violating a congressional subpoena. And earlier this month, he began circulating a draft copy of a resolution that would find Holder in contempt of Congress.

But support for the proposed measure has been slow to build.

With only 16 committee Republicans publicly supporting the resolution — and no Democrats — Issa falls short of the 21 votes he needs to pass it out of the 40-member panel to the House floor.

Rep. Justin Amash Justin AmashThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by JobsOhio - Trump's tax return bombshell Ron Paul hospitalized in Texas Internal Democratic poll shows tight race in contest to replace Amash MORE (R-Mich.) plans to hold off making a decision on whether he will support the measure until Issa puts forward a final version of the resolution and formally introduces it, his office told The Hill. Rep. Frank Guinta’s (R-N.H.) office said the lawmaker declined to comment on whether he supports Issa’s measure.

Reps. Todd Platts (R-Pa.), Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Connie Mack (R-Fla.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) have not responded to repeated requests for comment over the past two weeks.

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A spokesman for Issa refused to answer questions about how many Republicans in the committee and in the chamber have pledged their support for the chairman’s measure, instead pointing to the ongoing efforts by Issa to determine who was responsible for Fast and Furious.

“I am not going to get into the numbers, but would remind you that getting documents that show what happened with Operation Fast and Furious and how the Justice Department responded to it remains the committee’s focus,” said Frederick Hill in an email.

After spending nearly all of last year quiet on the issue, House Speaker John Boehner John Andrew BoehnerLongtime House parliamentarian to step down Five things we learned from this year's primaries Bad blood between Pelosi, Meadows complicates coronavirus talks MORE (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor Eric Ivan CantorThe Hill's Campaign Report: Florida hangs in the balance Eric Cantor teams up with former rival Dave Brat in supporting GOP candidate in former district Bottom line MORE (R-Va.) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wrote Holder last week to prod him to turn over the thousands of remaining documents requested under Issa’s subpoena.

The Republican leadership’s hesitance to fully back the contempt measure is due in part to the drastic nature of the rarely used maneuver and those members’ desire to make certain all other diplomatic attempts at getting the documents are exhausted.

But their hesitance might also be due to Issa’s outspoken nature. The powerful lawmaker frequently takes to a wide array of cable news shows to lob verbal attacks at Democrats and the White House.

Last week, Issa blasted Holder on Fox News for not complying with his subpoena. He emphasized his attempts to drum up Democratic support for the measure while claiming that every Republican on the committee has backed the resolution.

“Members of my committee on the Republican side, to a person, are totally convinced,” said Issa. “Our case right now, we’re trying to work with the Democrats on the committee.

“We’re trying to make the case across the aisle, and I’m going to give it a little time to try to get Democrats,” he said.

Last June, 31 Democrats sent a letter to President Obama urging him to “instruct the Department of Justice to promptly provide complete answers to all congressional inquiries on this issue.”

But Issa’s aggressive approach to his investigation has made nearly any chance at bipartisanship extremely difficult while simultaneously making some fellow Republicans cautious about being associated with such lambasting.

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Sen.(R-Mo.) expressed his admiration for what Issa has done as chairman but stopped short of saying the Fast and Furious probe had been conducted in a fair way that is open to Democratic support.

“Darrell Issa is smart, he can’t be intimidated and he is committed to finding the answers to whatever questions he asks,” Blunt said in a recent interview. “Congress is not very good at oversight as a rule, and I think Congressman Issa’s committed to oversight in a healthy way.”

Asked if Issa has conducted his investigation in a fair way, Blunt said, “I think I’ve said all I’m going to say.”

Rep. Jim Cooper (Tenn.), the only Democratic committee member to sign the June letter to Obama, did not respond to a request for comment.

How members plan to vote on Holder issue

Yes

• Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) — chairman

• Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.)

• Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.)

• Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.)

• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)

• Rep. Jason Chaffetz Jason ChaffetzThe myth of the conservative bestseller Elijah Cummings, Democratic chairman and powerful Trump critic, dies at 68 House Oversight panel demands DeVos turn over personal email records MORE (R-Utah)

• Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.)

• Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.)

• Rep. Paul Gosar Paul Anthony GosarPelosi must go — the House is in dire need of new leadership LWCF modernization: Restoring the promise Trump tweets his people have all left Drudge MORE (R-Ariz.)

• Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)

• Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.)

• Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.)

• Rep. Trey Gowdy Harold (Trey) Watson GowdySunday shows preview: Election integrity dominates as Nov. 3 nears Tim Scott invokes Breonna Taylor, George Floyd in Trump convention speech Sunday shows preview: Republicans gear up for national convention, USPS debate continues in Washington MORE (R-S.C.)

• Rep. Blake Farenthold Randolph (Blake) Blake FarentholdThe biggest political upsets of the decade Members spar over sexual harassment training deadline Female Dems see double standard in Klobuchar accusations MORE (R-Texas)

• Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)

• Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.)

Not committed

• Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) — plans to hold off making his decision until a final draft is put forward

• Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) — no comment

Did not respond

• Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.)

• Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio)

• Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.)

• Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.)

• Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.)

This story was updated at 2 p.m.