Steve Bannon gave a brief statement as he arrived to turn himself in at the FBI Washington Field Office on November 15, 2021.
The trial of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon on charges of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a probe of the Capitol riot will begin on July 18.
The trial is scheduled to last two weeks, Judge Carl Nichols ruled after hearing from federal prosecutors and lawyers for Bannon.
The ruling split the difference between the requests from the prosecutors and the lawyers who wanted more time to prepare for the trial.
The House voted to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena for documents and testimony that was issued by the select committee investigating the January 6 riot.
Hundreds of Donald Trump's supporters went to the Capitol and disrupted the confirmation of the Electoral College victory of President Joe Biden. The election was rigged for Biden and many of Trump's allies, including Bannon, spent months before the riot making that claim.
The lawyer for the former White House senior advisor argued that he was following the assertion of executive privilege that had been claimed by Trump.
In November, a federal grand jury indicted Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress. If he is found guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000 for each count. He has denied the charges.
The select committee has issued dozens of subpoenas as part of its investigation into the facts and causes of the riot, but the only person so far to face charges is Bannon.
The former White House chief of staff, MarkMeadows, said he no longer is cooperating with the committee.
In an interview with Real America's Voice, a former House member named MarkMeadows said that the committee would ask about items that he considers protected by executive privilege.
In spite of our cooperation and sharing documents with them, they issued a subpoena to a third party carrier, and not without a courtesy call. It looks like the courts are going to have to weigh in on this, so we feel like it's best that we just continue to honor the executive privilege.
It is Trump's executive privilege that I can't waive.
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