WASHINGTON –
Steve Bannon, a former ally of former President Donald Trump, was convicted on Friday of contempt charges for defying a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6 uprising at the US Capitol.
Bannon was found guilty after a trial that lasted about five days in federal court in Washington on two counts: one of refusing to appear for a deposition and the other of refusing to provide documents in response to the summons of the committee.
He faces up to two years in federal prison when convicted. Each charge carries a minimum sentence of 30 days in jail.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for just under three hours before returning the verdict.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Previous AP story follows below.
Closing arguments in Steve Bannon’s trial for contempt of Congress were expected on Friday, with the possibility that the jury will win the case against the former ally of Donald Trump.
Bannon is charged with two counts of criminal contempt for refusing to appear before the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol uprising and the events leading up to the deadly riot. Each count carries a minimum of 30 days in jail and up to a year.
Bannon declined to testify Thursday and his lawyers did not call any witnesses, instead arguing that the judge should dismiss the charges as unproven. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols did not immediately rule on the request.
Bannon was unofficially serving Trump at the time of the uprising on Jan. 6, 2021. The committee, which held a prime-time hearing Thursday that included comments from Bannon about Trump’s post-election strategy, wanted speak with Bannon because he had information that he was actively involved in the planning, logistics and fundraising for Trump’s efforts to nullify the 2020 election and prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
The panel’s subpoena demanded any documents or communications related to Trump and others in his orbit, including attorney Rudy Giuliani and extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
Evan Corcoran, Bannon’s lawyer, argued that the charges against him were politically motivated and that Bannon had engaged in good faith negotiations with the congressional committee about his concerns about testifying. “No one ignored the subpoena,” Corcoran told the jury.
Corcoran has tried to establish that the deadline for Bannon’s appearance before the House committee was flexible, as long as the two sides were negotiating the schedule. He said testimony from the House panel’s lead attorney, Kristin Amerling, made it clear “that the dates were changing.”
Corcoran said that “no reasonable jury could conclude that Mr. Bannon refused to comply.”
Bannon’s team told the judge that Bannon saw no point in testifying at his trial, since Nichols’ previous decisions had destroyed his defense avenues. Among other things, Bannon’s team was barred from calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or members of the House panel as witnesses.
Another lawyer for Bannon, David Schoen, said Bannon “understands that he would be prohibited from telling the real facts.”
Much of the trial testimony has been built around Amerling, who explained the extent to which the committee tried to engage Bannon and the timeline that led to the missed deadline.
During questioning, Corcoran asked Amerling if it was common for witnesses to appear before a congressional committee several weeks after the deadline on a subpoena. Amerling answered “yes,” but added only “when the witnesses are cooperating with the committee.”
Amerling said Bannon was uncooperative from the start, so there was no such leeway.
The committee did not hear from Bannon until after the first deadline, when his lawyer sent a letter to the committee saying Bannon was protected by Trump’s executive privilege claim and would not provide documents or appear. The committee responded in writing that Trump’s claim was invalid: Trump was no longer president and Bannon was not working in the White House at the time of the unrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Vaughn told jurors that the subpoena issued to Bannon “was not optional. It was not a request, it was not an invitation. It was mandatory.” He added: “The defendant’s failure to comply was deliberate. It was not an accident, it was not a mistake. It was a choice.”
Bannon was indicted in November on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, a month after the US Justice Department received the House panel’s referral.