The contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder could put one of his own employees in the awkward position of dragging his boss in front of a grand jury, but experts doubt it will happen.

Holder was found in contempt Thursday by the House after the GOP-led body determined he stonewalled on turning over documents relating to the Fast and Furious probe. Typically, such a finding by the legislative branch prompts the local U.S. Attorney to move the case forward as a criminal matter. But it is unclear if that duty is required or left to the discretion of the federal prosecutor, and no attorney general has ever been held in contempt before by the full House.

That puts U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald Machen in uncharted territory, according to Roger Pilon, vice president for legal studies at the Cato Institute, a Washington-based libertarian think tank. Does he have a choice about whether to put Holder before a grand jury, and if he chooses to, can his boss - Eric Holder - overrule him?