[BREAKING] Federal Grand Jury Indicts Steve Bannon For Contempt of Congress
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against former Trump adviser Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has been under tremendous political pressure to indict Bannon since the House referred the Trump ally to the Justice Department for contempt on October 21. Legal experts and other critics have said that without an indictment, there would be doubt cast over how much power the January 6th House Select Committee has to compel cooperation from former White House and Trump administration officials.
President Joe Biden’s White House has declined to assert executive privilege to Trump or his allies regarding witnesses and documents related to January 6th, citing the extraordinary nature of the attack on the Capitol. The White House counsel’s office had already written to Bannon’s attorney to tell him they wouldn’t support his refusals to testify.
Steve Bannon has been indicted by a federal grand jury, @SchneiderCNN reports. Prosecutors presented an indictment and arrest warrant to a federal magistrate on Friday afternoon, according to CNN reporters in the magistrate courtroom.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 12, 2021
CNN analysts have suggested that any criminal case against Bannon could take years to unfold in court, and a successful prosecution isn’t a certainty. Historically, criminal contempt of Congress cases have been derailed by juries sympathetic to the defendants and by appeals rulings. Bannon’s case is likely to raise novel legal questions about executive privilege and about the House’s ability to enforce its investigative subpoenas when they seek information about the executive branch.
Bannon will do the perp walk.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) November 12, 2021
Also on Friday, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows failed to appear for a deposition, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN, setting up a potential showdown that could lead to the panel beginning a criminal referral process against him.
And last week, former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, who had been subpoenaed, appeared before the committee for more than an hour but declined to answer questions.
[This is a breaking and developing story, please check back for updates]
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