Last November, Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon was indicted for contempt of Congress. Now the verdict is clear.
Updated less than 10 minutes ago
–
Three hours after the jury retired to reach a decision, the verdict is in.
Bannon is convicted of two charges: for repeatedly refusing to testify about the storming of Congress on January 6 last year, and for refusing to provide documentation, after being subpoenaed by the investigative committee.
– Mr. Bannon had an obligation to appear before the committee to give testimony and produce documents. His refusal to do so was deliberate, and now a jury has found that he must face the consequences, District Attorney Matthew Graves said in a news release.
According to the AP news agency, each count carries a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail.
The Ministry of Justice has previously stated that Bannon risks at least 30 days, and up to one year in prison, for each of the two indictments, in addition to a fine of between 100 and 1,000 dollars.
The trial lasted over five days. CNN correspondent Manu Raju signs on Twitter that the sentencing will take place on 21 October.
Tried to delay
Earlier this month, it was announced that Bannon changed his mind and would still attend the hearing on the congressional storming. Judge Carl Nichols nevertheless ruled that Bannon still had to appear in court for what he is accused of.
At the beginning of the week, he tried to get Judge Carl Nichols to postpone the trial, but was unsuccessful. Bannon has argued that the ongoing congressional committee hearings could make it difficult to find impartial jurors.
“Hell will break loose”
6 January 2021 stormed supporters of former President Trump the US Congress in Washington DC. This was in protest against what they believed to be electoral fraud by the Democrats, when Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020.
This incident is being investigated by the January 6 Committee, to which Bannon has now been convicted of refusing to testify.
–According to CNN, Bannon should have spoken to Trump on January 5, 2021, the day before Congress was stormed. In a podcast later that dayhe said that “all hell will break loose tomorrow.”
Bannon was fired in 2018, and thus was not Trump’s adviser when the storming took place. At this point he is said to have had a more informal role.
It was the House of Representatives that in October asked prosecutors to prosecute Bannon.
–
