Status: 18.07.2022 03:53
Ex-Trump adviser Bannon has to answer in court for refusing to testify in the committee of inquiry into the storming of the Capitol. He faces up to two years in prison for contempt of Congress.
Up to the very last minute, Steve Bannon has been trying to delay his trial, arguing, among other things, that CNN broadcast a documentary about him last night which he believes will negatively impact the jury.
But the federal judge stood firm and refused to postpone it. Even a protestation that he wanted to testify in the committee on January 6 was of no use to Steve Bannon. Ex-President Trump’s former chief strategist is accused of ignoring a subpoena to the investigative committee. He had also refused to release certain documents.
Bannon foresaw development
The 68-year-old is considered a key witness in the processing of the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. It is unclear whether Bannon will testify on Thursday at the last meeting of the investigative committee or not. It is clear that the right-wing populist foresaw the events after the presidential election. This is documented by audio documents that were recorded three days before the election and recently published.
“Trump will announce his election victory no matter what. That doesn’t necessarily mean that he won the election,” Bannon said on his podcast at the time. The co-founder of right-wing website Breitbart News knew full well that Trump would never accept an election defeat. Whether and to what extent he encouraged him is unknown.
“If by 10 or 11 p.m. it’s already clear that Trump will lose, it’s going to get even crazier,” Bannon said. “He’s going to say the election was cheated. He’s going to shut down polling stations in all 50 states. If Biden wins, Trump will do crazy shit.”
“Soulmates” with a break
Steve Bannon knows pretty well what makes Donald Trump tick. For seven months he was his chief adviser in the White House. The two men were considered “ideological soul mates”. After power struggles and arguments, the male friendship cooled and Bannon was fired in August 2017.
Years later, the two right-wing populists were in contact again. On Jan. 5, the day before Congress was supposed to officially confirm Joe Biden’s election victory, Trump called Bannon twice. Telephone logs prove this.
“All hell is going to break loose. Everything is coming together and we’re about to attack tomorrow,” Bannon said on his podcast shortly afterwards. “It’s not going to happen the way you think it will. It’s going to be very different. All I can say is buckle up.”
threatened imprisonment
The process starts with the jury selection. Should Steve Bannon be convicted, he faces up to two years in prison and a hefty fine. It would be the first guilty verdict of contempt of Congress in nearly 50 years.