The federal appeals court panel upheld Steve Bannon’s criminal conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Capitol attack. Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, was sentenced to four months in prison but remains free while he pursues his appeal. He was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to sit for a deposition and provide documents related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Bannon initially argued that his testimony was protected by Trump’s executive privilege, but the House panel and the Justice Department disputed this claim since Bannon was a private citizen at the time of the riot. Bannon’s lawyers claimed he was not acting in bad faith but attempting to avoid executive privilege objections raised by Trump. He requested a Trump lawyer be present during his deposition, which the committee denied.
Despite Bannon’s arguments, the appeals court rejected his challenges, stating that the information sought in the trial subpoenas was not relevant to the contempt offense or his defense. Another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and began serving his four-month sentence in March. Navarro cited executive privilege as the reason for not cooperating with the committee, but courts rejected this argument as he could not prove Trump had invoked it.
Bannon’s attorneys may request the full D.C. appeals court to hear the case following the recent decision. They argued that the committee’s subpoena was invalid and that the trial judge incorrectly quashed subpoenas for testimony and records from committee members and staff, which they believed could have bolstered Bannon’s defense. The appeals court deemed all of Bannon’s challenges to be without merit and upheld his conviction for contempt of Congress.
As the legal proceedings continue, Bannon remains free while awaiting the outcome of his appeal. The case has drawn attention due to Bannon’s close relationship with Trump and his involvement in the events leading up to the Capitol attack. The decision by the federal appeals court panel underscores the importance of congressional subpoenas and the consequences for failing to comply with them, even for high-profile individuals like Bannon.
