Capitol attack
Disregard of Congress: Steve Bannon faces jail sentence
Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, during an interview with the Associated Press. (Archive image)
© Thibault Camus / AP / DPA
Steve Bannon had been summoned by the Committee of Inquiry into the Capitol attack – but had refused to testify. He also withheld requested documents. Now he is being charged.
The former chief strategist of ex-President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, has been charged with disregard of Congress on two counts. He is accused of defying the summons of the House of Representatives’ committee of inquiry to forcibly storm the Capitol, the US Department of Justice said on Friday. In addition, he did not provide the body with the required documents. If convicted, Bannon could face a prison sentence of at least 30 days and up to a year per charge.
After Bannon refused to cooperate with the investigation, the House of Representatives and a majority of Democrats paved the way for criminal action against Bannon in late October. The decision on a possible charge was then the responsibility of the Justice Department. Minister Merrick Garland has now said that the indictment of a so-called grand jury against Bannon demonstrates that the judiciary adheres to the facts and the law, which applies equally to all people.
Not only Steve Bannon refuses to testify
Supporters of Republican Trump stormed the seat of the US Congress on January 6th. Five people were killed, including a police officer. The attack on the heart of US democracy, in which many MPs and senators feared for their lives, shook the US. Trump had to face impeachment proceedings because of the attack because he had previously incited his supporters in a speech. In the end, however, he was acquitted. Bannon, in turn, is suspected of having had prior knowledge of plans for violent protests. The day before he said in his podcast, among other things: “Tomorrow all hell breaks loose.”
Bannon isn’t the only Republican refusing to cooperate with the panel. Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, failed to appear before the panel despite a summons on Friday. The committee was therefore forced to take action against Meadows in order to consider criminal consequences, said the chairman of the committee, the Democrat Bennie Thompson, and his deputy, the Republican Liz Cheney. More than 150 witnesses already cooperated with the committee, they said.
Republican Adam Kinzinger, a member of the committee, welcomed the charges against Bannon. This sends an important message that witnesses cannot ignore subpoenas from Congress, Kinzinger told CNN. He hoped the prosecution would deter anyone who refused to cooperate with the investigation.
More Trump confidants are summoned
The panel had summoned Trump’s then spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, former advisor Stephen Miller and Trump’s ex-campaign manager William Stepien, among others.
Although Bannon was not in government office in January, in refusing to cooperate with the investigation, Bannon relies on the president’s prerogative to withhold information from Congress or the courts – the so-called executive privilege. Trump himself is fighting against the release of documents from his time in the White House, citing the privilege of being in court. So far he has already received two defeats in court – but there is still no final decision on the matter.
US media reported, citing the Justice Department, that Bannon wanted to face the authorities on Monday and would appear in federal court on the same day.
The 67-year-old is said to have played a major role in Trump’s surprising success at the time. After his election victory in 2016, Bannon was chief strategist in the White House, but then had to resign in the summer of 2017. He is considered one of the architects of Trump’s “America First” strategy. Bannon is one of the founders of the right-wing Internet platform “Breitbart” and is one of the most influential voices in the ultra-conservative camp of US politics.
Before leaving office on January 20, Trump had pardoned Bannon. He was arrested in 2020 on charges of having diverted money from a fundraising campaign to build a wall in Mexico for other purposes. He had pleaded not guilty.