House Votes To Hold Steve Bannon In Contempt Of Congress

By Associated Press
October 21, 2021

The House voted Thursday to clasp Steve Bannon, a longtime state and adjutant to erstwhile President Donald Trump, successful contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the committee investigating the convulsive Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

In a uncommon amusement of bipartisanship connected the House floor, the committee's Democratic chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, led the level statement on with Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, 1 of 2 Republicans connected the panel. Still, the ballot was 229-202 with astir GOP lawmakers voting “no,” contempt the imaginable consequences for Congress if witnesses are allowed to disregard its demands.

The House ballot sends the substance to the U.S. attorney’s bureau successful Washington, wherever it volition present beryllium up to prosecutors successful that bureau to determine whether to contiguous the lawsuit to a expansive assemblage for imaginable transgression charges.

The partisan divided implicit Bannon's subpoena — and implicit the committee's probe successful wide — is emblematic of the earthy tensions that inactive grip Congress 9 months aft the Capitol attack. Democrats person vowed to comprehensively probe the battle successful which hundreds of Trump's supporters battered their mode past police, injured dozens of officers and interrupted the electoral number certifying President Joe Biden's victory.

Lawmakers connected the investigating committee accidental they volition determination swiftly and forcefully to punish anyone who won’t cooperate with the probe.

Republicans telephone it a “witch hunt,” accidental it is simply a discarded of clip and reason that Congress should beryllium focusing connected much important matters.

The Jan. 6 committee voted 9-0 Tuesday to urge the contempt charges aft Bannon missed a scheduled interrogation with the sheet past week, citing a missive from Trump’s lawyer that directed him not to reply questions. The committee noted that Bannon did not enactment astatine the White House astatine the clip of the attack, and that helium not lone spoke with Trump earlier it but besides promoted the protests connected his podcast and predicted determination would beryllium unrest. On Jan. 5, Bannon said that “all hellhole is going to interruption loose."

Lawmakers connected the sheet said Bannon was unsocial successful wholly defying its subpoena, portion much than a twelve different subpoenaed witnesses were astatine slightest negotiating with them.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.