Jan. 6 Committee Puts Steve Bannon Lawyer On Direct Notice For Refusal To Comply

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Attempts by Donald Trump to shield information that ties him to inciting the Jan. 6 riot are no longer being tolerated now that he has left the White House. Unfortunately for Steve Bannon that also means Trump is no longer in the Oval Office to pardon him for new crimes.

In a private letter to Bannon’s attorney, the commission laid out their arguments for holding Bannon in contempt of Congress if he continues to refuse to appear for questioning after having been subpoenaed. Those arguments included the fact that Trump has not filed any kind of executive privilege order to the committee and that subpoenaed individuals must appear before Congress, as former White House attorney Don McGahn learned in court.

According to The Washington Post:

‘The emphatic tone of the letter and legal arguments it lays out underscore the committee’s desire to move quickly and aggressively to combat any attempts to slow down or scuttle its investigation. The panel is scheduled to meet Tuesday evening to vote on the contempt charge against Bannon, which it is expected to approve, and it is possiblethe vote could be taken up by the full House as early as this week. The matter would then go to the Justice Department.’

Bannon was charged with fraud during Trump’s presidency after bilking Trump’s supporters of money he claimed would go to “build the wall.” That wall still isn’t built and Bannon stole at least two million dollars from the funds. He was arrested on a $35 million, 150-foot yacht belonging to , the fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. Trump pardoned him before leaving office.

‘Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor criminal offense that can result in up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Criminal contempt can only be pursued by the Justice Department, setting up potential bureaucratic and legal hurdles. The committee can pursue civil contempt charges without the involvement of the Justice Department but that has historically produced substantial delays.’

Two other subpoenaed Trump officials, Kash Patel, former Chief of Staff for the Defense Secretary, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, are currently “engaging” with committee officials. A third, Dan Scavino, who served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff to the Communications Department, was served on Oct. 9.

‘In addition to Bannon, the committee has subpoenaed documents and testimony from other key Trump advisers, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Kash Patel, a former national security and Defense Department aide.’