Story highlights If the House votes to find Bryan Pagliano in contempt, his case could potentially head to court

Lawmakers have a packed schedule before they leave town until after the elections

Washington (CNN) House Republicans are pushing off a vote of contempt against the chief architect of Hillary Clinton's private email server until after the election -- clearing a partisan fight from their plate as they rush to avoid a government shutdown.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted along party lines last week to hold Clinton IT staffer Bryan Pagliano in contempt for twice refusing to appear before the panel. A vote by the full House was on track for Thursday , but was delayed, two senior House Republican aides said Wednesday, on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been made public yet.

If the House votes to find Pagliano in contempt, his case could potentially head to court, where he could face a fine of up to $100,000 for refusing to appear, according to an Associated Press breakdown of the contempt process.

Republicans, including House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz, have argued that Pagliano is needed to answer key questions about Clinton's private email server. But Democrats, including Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the committee, have called it a political witch hunt.

But lawmakers have a packed schedule before they leave town until after the elections -- including voting on whether to keep the government open and overhaul water infrastructure programs.

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