House Panel Recommends Contempt Charges on Steve Bannon

The House panel probing the January 6 Capitol riots voted unanimously to file contempt charges against Steve Bannon. The longtime aide to former President Donald Trump can face jail time and other penalties for his refusal to appear before the committee. 

RELATED: ‘Make Donald Trump the House Speaker,’ Says Steve Bannon

Committee Votes To File Criminal Charges Against Steve Bannon

The House of Representative Select Committee unanimously approved a report recommending the filing of criminal charges against Bannon. All seven Democratic and two Republican committee members voted yes.

The committee said it was “shocking” that Bannon refused to cooperate with subpoenas. The committee approval now paves the way for the House to vote on recommending contempt charges.

The House vote is set this Thursday. With the House majority belonging to the Democrats, the vote will likely approve the measure.

Meanwhile, a US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia spokesperson said they’ll act on the matter. Prosecutors will evaluate the case based on facts and the law once the House approves the measure. 

Steve Bannon And Attorney Did Not Respond

Representative Bennie Thompson, the panel's chairman, opened his remarks ruing Bannon’s disregard for their orders. “It's a shame that Mr. Bannon has put us in this position.

But we won't take ‘no' for an answer,” he said. Meanwhile, Bannon's attorney remained mum to requests for comment on Tuesday evening. Thompson also said that the former Breitbart chairman “stands alone” in his refusal to cooperate.

Former President Trump pardoned Bannon before leaving office in January. The former Trump aide faced charges of swindling Trump supporters.

Apart from Bannon, Trump also advised his other former aides to reject any requests from the Select Committee. He also claimed executive privilege in not allowing the committee to subpoena records from the White House. 

Bannon Said He Will Not Cooperate

Speaking through his lawyer, Bannon said he will cooperate. Unless the committee resolves Trump’s claim for executive, the former Trump aide will not submit.

He said that a court ruling or a settlement agreement can resolve the executive privilege concern raised by Trump. 

As a result, Republican committee member Rep. Liz Cheney (WY) said that the duo’s actions tell a story. “Mr. Bannon's and Mr. Trump's privilege arguments do appear to reveal one thing, however: They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of Jan. 6th. And we will get to the bottom of that.”

Select Committee Charged Nearly 700 Americans

Currently, the select committee already charged nearly 700 people for taking part in the Capitol riot. This was the worst attack on a US government building since 1812.

The panel issued a  total of 19 subpoenas so far.  Bannon, however, remains defiant. “It's shocking to me that anyone would not do everything in their power to assist our investigation,” Thompson said.

In its report, the committee argued that Bannon made statements suggesting he knew ahead of time about “extreme events” on January 6.

This is the day where the US Congress was set to President Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. The previous day, Bannon said on a podcast that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow.” 

The next day, thousands of Trump supporters swarmed the Capitol. Four died during the assault. In addition, one DC police officer died the following day due to injuries.

Hundreds of police officers sustained injuries in trying to control the crowd. Four subsequently committed suicide weeks after the event. 

Watch the CNN Video reporting that House Jan. 6 committee votes to hold Bannon in contempt:

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What do you think of the recommendation to file contempt charges against Steve Bannon? Should he just present himself to the House panel, or should he maintain his stance?

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