Steve Bannon charged with contempt of Congress by a federal grand jury

Marks, Miss (AP) — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, has been accused of contempt of Congress after opposition to a congressional subpoena from the House of Representatives investigating a riot in the US Capitol. Was charged with.

According to the Justice Department, 67-year-old Banon was charged with refusing to appear in the testimony and refusing to provide documents in response to the Commission’s subpoena. It was not immediately clear when he would appear in court.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the indictment reflected the Department of Justice’s “firm commitment” to ensure that the Department of Justice complies with the rule of law.

Each count is subject to a minimum of 30 days in prison and a maximum of 1 year in prison.

Banon’s lawyer did not immediately respond to the message asking for comment.

This is the latest news update. The previous story of AP is as follows.

Marks, Miss (AP) — The chairman of the House of Representatives investigating the January 6 parliamentary riots opposes former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after ignoring the summons and not appearing. He said on Friday that he would recommend a contempt vote. For Friday’s testimony recording.

“I encourage you to look down on his efforts to insult Congress next week. This is the same thing he did to Steve Bannon. Democrat Bennie Thompson held an event in his home state. Said in.

The House of Representatives resolved last month to insult Banon, an adviser to former President Donald Trump, after similarly rebelling against the Commission’s subpoena to talk about his role in violent attacks. Meadows has been in talks with the Commission since the subpoena was issued in September, but his lawyer had a “fierce legal dispute” with the panel as Trump claimed executive privilege to testify on Friday. He said he was.

Thompson threatened contempt for Meadows in a letter to lawyer George Turwilliger on Thursday, saying that failure to answer the Commission’s questions on Friday would be considered a “willful violation.” The Commission must first vote for the insult recommendation, then Full House will vote to send it to the Department of Justice.

As the former president claimed privileges on the documents and interviews demanded by lawmakers, a refusal to comply with Meadows arises as the court battle between the Commission and Trump intensifies.

The White House said in a letter Thursday that President Joe Biden would waive any privileges that would prevent Meadows from cooperating with the Commission, urging his lawyers not to obey.

“Legal disputes are properly settled by the courts,” said lawyer George Turwilliger. “It is irresponsible for Mr. Meadows to resolve the dispute prematurely by voluntarily relinquishing the privileges at the heart of these legal issues.”

As the incumbent president, Biden has so far abandoned most of Trump’s claims of privilege over documents. Judge Tanya Chutkan of the US District Court upheld Biden’s position in a ruling this week, stating that “the president is not the king and the plaintiff is not the president.”

The panel’s procedures and attempts to gather information were delayed as Trump appealed to Chutkan’s ruling. Thursday Federal Court of Appeals temporarily blocked release Of some of the White House records the Panel is seeking, it gives the court time to consider Trump’s allegations.

Still, the House Commission continues to do so, setting the most comprehensive record of how a violent mob of Trump’s supporters broke into the Capitol and temporarily suspended Biden’s certification. As far as trying to build, lawmakers have already interviewed more than 150 witnesses Victory.

The committee summoned about 30 peopleIncludes former White House staff, Trump’s allies who have strategiced on how to overturn his defeat, and those who organized a huge rally at the National Mall on the morning of January 6. Panels and documents provided.

Meadows, a former Republican from North Carolina, is an important witness to the panel. He was Trump’s top aide during the period from Trump’s defeat to the riots in the November elections, and was one of several who pressured state officials to overturn the outcome. He was also on Trump’s side for many hours and was able to provide information about what the former president was saying and doing during the attack.

“You are the President’s Chief of Staff and have important information about many elements of our investigation,” Thompson wrote in a letter attached to the September 23 subpoena to The Meadows. “You seem to have been with or near President Trump on January 6th. He contacted the President and others about what happened at the Capitol on January 6th and is a witness to the activities of the day. . “

It’s up to the Department of Justice whether either Banon or Meadows will face the consequences, and the Department of Justice hasn’t said so far whether to prosecute Banon’s proceedings. The panel has urged the department to do so, but Attorney General Merrick Garland has revealed that his lawyer will make an independent decision.

The Court of Appeals will hear a discussion on November 30, an attempt to withhold documents from the Panel, in another Trump proceeding against the Commission and the National Archives. The discussion took place in front of three judges nominated by the Democratic President, Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins nominated by former President Barack Obama, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, the appointed Biden. increase.

Given the scale of the case, whichever side loses before the Circuit Court may eventually appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Steve Bannon charged with contempt of Congress by a federal grand jury

Source link Steve Bannon charged with contempt of Congress by a federal grand jury

The post Steve Bannon charged with contempt of Congress by a federal grand jury appeared first on Illinois News Today.