Former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon has been ordered to hand over his passport as he awaits trial on a pair of contempt of Congress charges. Those charges were issued after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, and according to reporter Kyle Cheney, Bannon will also “be required to submit to court supervision as he awaits trial, with provisions that include checking in with a pretrial services officer weekly.” If Bannon is found guilty of the charges, then each count would carry a minimum of 30 days in jail, with the potential for accompanying fines reaching up to $100,000 apiece.
Bannon will be required to submit to court supervision as he awaits trial, with provisions that include checking in with a pretrial services officer weekly. Bannon also had to surrender his passport.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 15, 2021
Predictably, Bannon has shown no remorse for his refusal to cooperate with Congress. Instead, he proclaimed after a Monday court appearance that his case was “going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden,” adding that he and his team would be “going on the offense.” Bannon has a lot of self-confident gusto, but so little in terms of actual substance. Before turning himself into authorities ahead of that court hearing, he added in a message to his followers that the proceedings against him were just “noise.” In contrast, the activism in which he and his allies have been involved was “signal,” he said. It’s all nonsense. These people think they’re some sort of valiant defenders of truth, justice, and the American way — but they’re just imbeciles.
Steve Bannon: "We've got the Hispanics coming on our side, African Americans coming on our side, we're taking down the Biden regime. […] I want you guys to stay focused, stay on message. Remember, signal not noise. This is all noise." https://t.co/v6vK5Ndje5 pic.twitter.com/Mzv95lS9xb
— The Hill (@thehill) November 15, 2021
At this point, Bannon is far from the only Trump ally to have been subpoenaed by the riot investigation committee — and he’s not the only one who could face serious consequences for refusing to comply with subpoenas. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark have also refused to substantively comply with their own subpoenas, and they could be among the next to face contempt proceedings. Still, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — the vice chair of the committee — revealed not too long ago that the panel had already heard from over 150 witnesses, so the investigation itself is making strides.
