Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump strategist, was found guilty of contempt of Congress on Friday.
As Devlin Barrett, Spencer S. Hsu and Katie Mettler report, the right-wing podcaster and Trump’s longtime confidante was found guilty on two counts after refusing to provide documents or testimony to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Bannon, 68, is the closest person to Trump convicted amid the fallout from the attack on Congress — though the contempt case itself does not involve the events of that day.
Each of the two misdemeanor charges is punishable by at least 30 days and up to one year in jail.
“This case is not complicated, but it is important,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston told jurors in closing arguments Friday morning.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours after prosecutors said Bannon “chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.”
The trial lasted a week and featured only two witnesses. It tested a rarely-used criminal statute meant to ensure that people comply with congressional subpoenas. While Bannon vowed earlier this month to go “medieval” on his enemies, most of his legal arguments were rejected by the trial judge and Bannon ended up calling no witnesses.
Read more about Friday’s decision here.
As Devlin Barrett, Spencer S. Hsu and Katie Mettler report, the right-wing podcaster and Trump’s longtime confidante was found guilty on two counts after refusing to provide documents or testimony to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Bannon, 68, is the closest person to Trump convicted amid the fallout from the attack on Congress — though the contempt case itself does not involve the events of that day.
Each of the two misdemeanor charges is punishable by at least 30 days and up to one year in jail.
“This case is not complicated, but it is important,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston told jurors in closing arguments Friday morning.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours after prosecutors said Bannon “chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.”
The trial lasted a week and featured only two witnesses. It tested a rarely-used criminal statute meant to ensure that people comply with congressional subpoenas. While Bannon vowed earlier this month to go “medieval” on his enemies, most of his legal arguments were rejected by the trial judge and Bannon ended up calling no witnesses.
Read more about Friday’s decision here.
