Bannon Indicted on Contempt Charges Over House Investigation of Capitol Riot

Politics|Bannon Indicted connected Contempt Charges Over House Investigation of Capitol Riot

Stephen K. Bannon, 1 of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump’s apical aides aboriginal successful his presidency, was indicted by a national expansive assemblage connected Friday connected 2 counts of contempt of Congress, the Justice Department said.

Mr. Bannon, 67, had refused past period to comply with subpoenas for accusation issued by the House prime committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The House voted past period to clasp Mr. Bannon successful transgression contempt of Congress aft helium refused to attest oregon supply documents sought by the committee, a presumption taken by a fig of erstwhile aides to Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump had directed his erstwhile aides and advisers to invoke immunity and refrain from turning implicit documents that mightiness beryllium protected nether enforcement privilege.

The House enactment referred the substance to the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Washington, D.C., for a determination connected whether to prosecute him, leaving the politically and legally analyzable substance successful the hands of the Justice Department.

“Since my archetypal time successful office, I person promised Justice Department employees that unneurotic we would amusement the American radical by connection and deed that the section adheres to the regularisation of law, follows the facts and the instrumentality and pursues adjacent justness nether the law,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said successful a statement.

“Today’s charges bespeak the department’s steadfast committedness to these principles,” Mr. Garland said.

One contempt number is related to Mr. Bannon’s refusal to look for a deposition and the different is for his refusal to nutrient documents for the committee.

An arraignment day has not been set.

The committee issued subpoenas successful September to Mr. Bannon and respective others who had ties to the Trump White House, and it has since issued scores of subpoenas to different allies of the erstwhile president.

The committee said it had crushed to judge that Mr. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s erstwhile main strategist and counselor, could assistance investigators amended recognize the Jan. 6 attack, which was meant to halt the certification of President Biden’s victory.

While galore of those who received subpoenas person sought to enactment to immoderate grade with the committee, Mr. Bannon claimed that his conversations with Mr. Trump were covered by enforcement privilege, adjacent though helium has been a backstage national since 2017. He said helium would not comply with the committee’s requests.

Each number of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 1 twelvemonth successful jail, arsenic good arsenic a good of $100 to $1,000.