DC District Judge Carl Nichols has rejected a lengthy argument by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon to delay his trial for contempt of Congress, ruling that it will begin Monday morning with jury selection.
Bannon’s defense attorney, David Schoen, argued that Mother Jones’ recent audio release could skew possible juries. At the recording, he had predicted days before the 2020 election that President Trump would declare victory on election night, while he appeared to be leading, as postal votes, which were expected to favor Joe Biden, would be counted. more slowly in various battlefield states.
“What Trump will do is just declare victory. Oh? He will declare victory. But that doesn’t mean he’s a winner,” Bannon told a group of people in the audio posted by Mother Jones. “He’ll just say he’s a winner.”
Schoen also argued that the committee’s hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 6, in which his statement “all hell will be released,” would skew the jurors.
Nichols overturned all of these arguments and responded that the jury selection process is the best remedy for bias.
The House Select Committee on Jan. 6 summoned Bannon in September 2021 because of news he had urged former President Trump to focus on Jan. 6, when Congress would receive ballots from the Col. Electoral law and would claim the victory of Mr. Biden, and had tried to persuade. members of Congress to vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election.
Bannon’s defense team has already informed the court that it plans to file an appeal before or after his trial.
But the judge has left the door open, for now, to allow Bannon to present evidence to jurors about his 11 a.m. offer to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. Schoen indicated that they plan to argue that Bannon thought the committee’s citation deadline of October 14, 2021 was “malleable” or “negotiable”.
Nichols said he will make the final determination on this “deadline” defense next week, but that he will first want to hear an argument from Bannon.
Assault on the United States Capitol
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