The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted on Sept. 19 to hold Dr. Ralph de la Torre, CEO of Steward Health Care Systems, in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer a Sept. 12 subpoena.
The subpoena, authorized on July 25, sought to investigate allegations of mismanagement and substandard care at Steward’s chain of hospitals, even as its CEO and shareholders raked in huge profits.
The committee voted on two resolutions: one to bring civil action against de la Torre to enforce the subpoena, and the other for him to be criminally prosecuted for failure to appear. Both resolutions passed, 20–0….