Judge Rejects Steve Bannon’s Motion To Toss Contempt Of Congress Charges

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a motion by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon to dismiss an indictment accusing him of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the House committee investigating the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

The Justice Department opinions gave him immunity from having to testify because he did not commit a crime, according to the attorneys.

According to multiple reports from the courtroom, the judge rejected the claims because the legal team did not provide enough evidence to support them.

When he was subpoenaed by the committee in September, he claimed that he couldn't testify because the information was protected by executive privilege.

The Department of Justice indicted him on contempt charges after the House voted to hold him in contempt.

If he is found guilty of both charges, he could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000.

David Schoen said in a statement that he came in well prepared, showed his familiarity with the issues and entered his decision as he deemed appropriate, and that his legal team looks forward to preparing for the trial.

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The January 6 committee accused Bannon of playing a role in the Capitol riot by supporting Trump's false claims of voter fraud and meeting with other Trump allies in the week before the attack. The committee is making parts of its investigation public through a series of hearings, which have revealed bombshell information about how Trump's team perpetuated falsehoods about how the 2020 election was "stolen" due to baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Video shows that many of these claims were repeated by rioters at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Tangent

The House recommended contempt charges against several people, but the Justice Department declined to charge any of them. After turning over thousands of text messages to the committee, both Meadows and Scavino engaged in months of negotiations with the committee, but they did not testify.

What To Watch For

The trial of Steve Bannon is scheduled to start on July 18 but may be delayed due to upcoming hearings, according to reports.

Not Guilty To Contempt of Congress, Says Bannon.

Steve Bannon was indicted for contempt of congress after he refused to comply with the subpoena.