Long-time Trump loyalist and host of the popular ‘War Room’ podcast Steve Bannon was indicted on Friday, after being held in contempt by the U.S. Congress for his refusal to appear for a subpoena relating to the House’s Jan. 6 select committee.
According to the New York Post, Bannon, who faces a possible 60-day sentence (at minimum) up to two years in jail plus fines if convicted on both counts, has spent the last year pushing for nationwide audits of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and pushing President Trump’s America First agenda.
For example, Bannon played a key role during the 2021 election season, ensuring Republican volunteers and poll watcher positions were filled, following last year’s dubious presidential election.
“Ninety-five percent of the billets in Virginia were occupied of election officials and poll watchers, and that is a principal reason that we secured the election of Youngkin,” Bannon said following the indictment.
Bannon and other Trump allies are seeking to assert executive privilege in response to the select committee’s subpoena as directed by Trump.
“Until such time as you reach an agreement with President Trump or receive a court ruling as to the extent, scope and applications of the executive privilege, in order to preserve the claim of executive and other privileges, Mr. Bannon will not be producing documents or testifying,” Bannon’s attorney, Robert Costello, wrote in a letter sent to the select committee in October.
Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 229 to 202 to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress following his refusal to respond to the Democrat-led Jan. 6 select committee investigation. After this vote, Congress sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department, headed by Biden-appointed Merrick Garland.
“Since my first days 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,” Garland said in an official Justice Department statement.
Bannon’s indictment, the most significant related to the Jan. 6 investigation, follows public approval from the Biden administration to pursue charges against any Trump allies allegedly involved.
The Biden administration denied Trump allies’ assertion of executive privilege in response a slew of subpoenas issued by the select committee, despite Trump’s assertion of executive privilege and the committee’s investigation of communications between Trump and allies during his presidency.
Despite the indictment, Bannon appears unshaken as he continued to host his daily podcast on Friday where he pushed for both nationwide election audits and a MAGA takeover of the Republican Party.
Bannon is expected to turn himself into federal authorities on Monday.
