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| Photo Credit: AP. |
The Department of Justice (DOJ is proposing a six-month preterm term for Trump era White House chief strategist Steve Bannon for “contempt of Congress” after refusing to appear before the January 6 committee despite receiving a subpoena to that effect. The DOJ also wants Mr. Bannon to be fined for defying the January 6 panel investigating the violent siege on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, by Trump supporters.
"The
committee sought documents and testimony from the Defendant relevant to a
matter of national importance: the circumstances that led to a violent attack
on the Capitol and disruption of the peaceful transfer of power,"
prosecutors argued, according to the Washington Examiner. "In response,
the Defendant flouted the Committee's authority and ignored the subpoena's
demands."
In July Mr.
Bannon was convicted for contempt of Congress for not just refusing to testify
before the committee but for also refusing to turn over requested documents.
The former
Trump aide is expected to be sentenced Friday.
Bannon had argued
that he was not compelled to produce documents or sit for testimony because he
was covered by former President Trump’s assertion of executive privilege which he
said superseded the legal authority of a congressional subpoena, the Washington
Examiner reported.
In
preparation of January 6 certification of Joe Biden’s victory Bannon and former
Trump aide Peter Navarro rallied House Republicans with allied senators to
challenge the counting of electors from several states won by Joe Biden in what
is dubbed the “Green Bay Sweep,” according to Politico. The lawmakers would
divide into teams that would prevent arguments on the House floor and help
extend the session deep into January 7 so that the Trump administration could
buy more time to perpetuate itself in power.
According to
Politico, the select committee also raised questions about a post-election
report prepared by Navarro which raised discredited claims of voting
irregularities, an idea which was promoted by Mr Trump in a tweet as he charged
his supporters to lay a siege on Congress to make their voices heard.
The strategy
by Mr Trump was to delay the counting of electors long enough to give enough
room for GOP controlled state legislatures to reconvene and adopt new
presidential electors so as to overturn Biden’s victory. The plans died a
natural death as no state legislature accepted the doomsday strategy.
The January
6 committee sought testimony from Bannon because of his participation in
meetings at the Willard Hotel in the days before the Capitol riot, which served
as a “command center” for Trump allies seeking to challenge the results of the
2020 presidential elections, the Washington Examiner reported.
Mr. Bannon also suggested that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow” on his podcast on Jan. 5, 2021, according to the Washington Examiner.