A United States federal jury indicted Steve Bannon, influential former advisor to Donald trump, of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the House of Representatives who investigates the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill.
“Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury with two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 assault on the United States Capitol. “, the Department of Justice informed this Friday through a statement.
Bannon, 67, faces up to two years in prison if convicted of both charges. The appearance date has not yet been set in the District of Columbia court, the text adds.
While the House of Representatives has yet to get the National Archives records on the White House’s communications during the assault on the Capitol, a court suspended a previous court order authorizing the release of the records to the Select Committee and set a new hearing for November 30.
The former adviser was sued for refusing to testify and submit documents to the special committee of the House of Representatives that investigates the role of Trump in the attack of his supporters on the headquarters of Congress, instigated by the former president himself.
On January 6, 2021, a group of fans entered the Capitol as senators and representatives certified Biden’s electoral victory.. Five people died in the assault and Trump faced a second impeachment trial (the first had been for the Russian plot), something unprecedented in a single term.
Despite his summons in mid-October, Bannon did not appear before the legislators invoking the right of the presidents of the United States to maintain the confidentiality of certain documents and discussions. But, according to the investigating commission, this protection does not apply because Trump is no longer president and has never officially asserted that privilege of the Executive.
Bannon was one of the architects of Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, but then he walked away from that administration.
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