Bannon was found guilty of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress after deliberately refusing to appear in court in relation to last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
There were just two government witnesses, including the House Select Committee’s deputy staff director, who testified in the case against Bannon.
As basic as the words on Bannon’s subpoena, the Justice Department told jurors the case was black and white.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston said in closing remarks that “the defendant chose fealty to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.”
On the social networking site Gettr, prosecutors said, Bannon had posted that he would “NOT comply” with the first committee deadline on Oct. 8, 2021, after the date had passed.
When asked by jurors what they wanted to know about Steve Bannon’s contacts with former President Trump, his early 2021 stay at the Willard Hotel, and his statement that “all hell is going to break loose” on the War Room podcast the day before the Capitol siege, government witness Kristin Amerling said, “the panel wants to know more.”
According to Bannon’s lawyers, the former White House chief strategist made a mistake when it came to subpoena dates.
Thanks to his right-wing media popularity and his friendship with Trump, the former White House top strategist has emerged as a political force in the Republican Party.
There were no records supplied to the Democratic-led committee by Bannon, and he failed to appear for a deposition last year because Trump had claimed executive privilege, preventing him from testifying.
The privilege argument was called into doubt by U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, and even Trump’s own counsel hinted that it would not cover Bannon’s refusal to comply with the House Select Committee in its entirety.
Bannon’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, said that the subpoena dates were “placeholders,” and that Bannon had made a mistake. Prosecutor Gaston had also been a member of the same reading club as witness Amerling, according to Corcoran’s testimony.
Corcoran told jurors that “the issue with bias is that sometimes people become blind to it.”
They claimed that prosecutors were trying to confuse the jury with an attempt to politicize the case.
Gaston stated, “The defendant is the only one making this case about politics, and he is doing so to divert and mislead you.” “Don’t let him to,” he tells you.
On the eve of trial, Bannon made a last-minute offer to testify in front of Congress in a public session in an attempt to delay the case. It was a gimmick, and “and not even a good one,” according to the Justice Department prosecutors, because it didn’t address the panel’s request for materials.
They exited the courthouse without commenting on the verdict. US Attorney Matthew Graves said in a written statement, “Bannon was required to testify before the House Select Committee and provide over relevant records. He deliberately refused to do so, and a jury has now determined that he must pay the price for that refusal.”
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon thanked the judge and jurors for their service but lashed out at House Select Committee members, calling their “show trial.” After the ruling, Bannon said the legal battle was far from over.
He pointed out that the judge had disagreed with a legal precedent that cut off Bannon’s defenses, but noted that the appeals court may well take another look when the case arrived. A “bullet-proof appeal” and a “astonishing” amount of appellate issues were cited by Schoen.
“The conviction of Steve Bannon is a triumph for the rule of law and a vital validation of the Select Committee’s work,” House Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, and vice chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, said in a prepared statement.
It’s rare for a witness to completely refuse congressional demands, but criminal contempt cases abound. When he is sentenced on October 21, Bannon stands the possibility of both jail time and monetary fines.
The trial of another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, on contempt charges is slated for November. Navarro has chosen not to enter a plea.