Photo: Alamy
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced plans to file an amicus brief in a move that could upend the court ruling against former Trump advisor Steve Bannon.
According to The Hill, a House group of majority and minority members appropriately titled The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group voted in favor of the filing to support Bannon in his appeal.
Bannon was ordered to serve a jail sentence starting on July 1 for refusing to comply with a January 6 committee subpoena.
Johnson, along with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., released a joint statement on the subject.
This noted, “The amicus brief will be submitted after Bannon files a petition for rehearing en banc and will be in support of neither party.”
“It will withdraw certain arguments made by the House earlier in the litigation about the organization of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol during the prior Congress,” the statement added.
It concluded, “House Republican Leadership continues to believe Speaker Pelosi abused her authority when organizing the Select Committee.
During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Johnson also stated, “The January 6 committee was, we think, wrongfully constituted. We think the work was tainted. We think that they may have very well covered up evidence and maybe even more nefarious activities.”
He noted how the group is investigating the Jan. 6 committee.
Johnson discussed how they disagree with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership of the committee and added, “We think it violated House rules.”
Johnson confirmed that he believes this filing will aid Bannon’s appeal.
If successful, it could upend multiple other Jan. 6 convictions, a continued topic of interest for America First conservatives that President Donald Trump has also addressed, per RSBN.