On Monday November 15th Steve Bannon, a confidant of former President Donald Trump, surrendered to federal authorities after he was indited Friday on two counts of contempt. Bannon refused to cooperate with Congress when he defied a subpoena from the House Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection. According to the Justice Department, Bannon refused to appear for a deposition last month and also refused to provide documents pertaining to the investigation. Trump’s allies have a history of resisting congressional subpoenas as Mark Meadows also defied his. There seems to be a unified effort to impede progress in the House Committee’s investigation by former members of the Trump administration. Similar to when congress was investigating Russian interference, the Trump camp has been uncooperative in the investigation.
“Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law,”
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
Each count of contempt ranges from a minimum of 30 days to a year in jail as well as a fine of up to $1,000. A federal district court judge will determine the extent to which Bannon will be charged. Bannon has claimed he is covered by the assertion of executive privilege which refers to the president and other members of executive branch’s ability to maintain confidential communications and defy some subpoenas by the legislative and judicial branches of the government. Legal experts say that claim is false for two reasons. The first being that Bannon was not in the Trump administration at the time of the January 6th insurrection and the second is that Biden has waived executive privilege with regards to the investigation.
Bannon and Meadows are both key to the House committee’s investigation and a similar consequence looms for Mark Meadows if he does not comply. The members of the House panel has already interviewed more than 150 witnesses and have issued subpoena’s to almost three dozen people. The general implications of the investigation remain to be seen but one thing is clear, Bannon and Meadows are important in learning the entire story behind the January 6th insurrection.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Inquiry, and Government Relations.
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