U.S. House edges toward contempt charges against Trump aide Bannon
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[October 21, 2021]
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of
Representatives is expected on Thursday to approve contempt-of-Congress
charges against Steve Bannon, a longtime aide to former President Donald
Trump, for refusing to cooperate with the probe into the deadly attack
on the Capitol.
Bannon has refused to comply with committee subpoenas seeking documents
and his testimony, citing Trump's insistence - disputed by some legal
scholars - that his communications are protected by the legal doctrine
of executive privilege.
The Democratic-led Select Committee probing the Jan. 6 assault on the
Capitol voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of the charges. That set
up the vote in the full House, where Democrats hold a slim majority.
Approval will refer the matter to the Department of Justice, where the
U.S. Attorney's Office for Washington said it would evaluate the issue.
An 1857 law, known as the contempt of Congress statute, states that the
Justice Department has a "duty" to bring a House contempt citation
before a grand jury.
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But the Justice Department historically has said it makes the ultimate
decision about whether to prosecute individuals who defy congressional
subpoenas. The last successful prosecution for contempt of Congress was
in 1974 when a judge found Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy guilty
of the offense.
Most congressional Republicans opposed creating a commission to
investigate the events surrounding Jan. 6, when thousands of Trump
supporters descended on the Capitol after his fiery speech urging them
to protest his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden in the November 2020
election that he falsely claims was "stolen."
Only two Republicans - Representatives Liz Cheney and
Adam Kinzinger - are on the nine-member Select Committee. All four
Republican members of the Rules Committee voted no on Wednesday when the
matter came before that panel, which is responsible for setting the
terms of debate for Thursday's vote.
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![](../images/102121PIX/news_a1.jpg)
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon exits the Manhattan
Federal Court, following his arraignment hearing for conspiracy to
commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in the
Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S. August 20, 2020.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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The four were also among the 139 House Republicans who voted on Jan.
6 against certifying Biden's election victory, even after the attack
on the Capitol.
Representative Tom Cole, the rules panel's top Republican, said the
contempt referral is part of a punitive process that will not help
the Select Committee obtain information.
The Select Committee's actions "are a complete assault on Americans'
liberties," said Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican who
testified against the contempt recommendation at the rules hearing.
Four people died on the day of the assault, and one Capitol police
officer died the next day of injuries sustained in defense of the
seat of government. Hundreds of police officers were injured and
four have since taken their own lives.
Trump has continued to insist falsely that his defeat was the result
of fraud. Multiple courts, state election officials and members of
Trump's own administration have rejected that claim.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Jan Wolfe;
Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney)
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