A federal appeals court panel on Friday upheld the criminal conviction of Donald Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Quick Read
Appeals Court Upholds Steve Bannon’s Contempt of Congress Conviction
- Court Decision: A federal appeals court has upheld the contempt of Congress conviction against Steve Bannon, former advisor to Donald Trump, for defying a subpoena related to the investigation of the January 6 Capitol attack.
- Legal Challenges Rejected: Bannon’s legal arguments were rejected by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Bannon remains free pending further appeals.
- Background: The subpoena was part of the House committee’s investigation into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Bannon had claimed executive privilege, which was contested due to his status as a private citizen during the events in question.
- Comparison to Other Cases: Like Bannon, Peter Navarro, another Trump advisor, was convicted of contempt of Congress and began serving a four-month prison sentence in March.
The Associated Press has the story:
Appeals court upholds Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress conviction
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
A federal appeals court panel on Friday upheld the criminal conviction of Donald Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected Bannon’s challenges to his contempt of Congress conviction. Bannon had been sentenced to four months in prison, but the judge overseeing the case had allowed him to stay free pending appeal.
Bannon’s attorneys didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. His lawyers could ask the full D.C. appeals court to hear the matter.
The congressional committee sought Bannon’s testimony over his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Bannon had initially argued that his testimony was protected by Trump’s claim of executive privilege. But the House panel and the Justice Department contend such a claim is dubious because Trump had fired Bannon from the White House in 2017 and Bannon was thus a private citizen when he was consulting with the then-president in the run-up to the riot .
A second Trump aide, trade advisor Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence.
