The jury found Bannon, 68, guilty of two crimes: refusing to testify before a House committee and refusing to submit documents to that committee. Bannon’s sentence has not yet been determined. Any contempt for Congress is punishable by 30 days to a year in prison, plus a $100 to $100,000 fine.
The last time an accused person was convicted of contempt of Congress was in 1974. At the time, it was Gordon Lady, the conspirator in the Watergate scandal, who led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
The commission wanted to hear Bannon’s testimony because the day before the attack, he had spoken to Trump at least twice and attended a planning meeting at a Washington hotel. Later that day, he said in his podcast that “all hell breaks loose tomorrow.” Earlier this month, just before his contempt of Congress trial began, Bannon suddenly announced his willingness to testify at a public hearing before the committee. Prosecutors said that did not change the fact that he had previously broken the law.
Committee position
Bannon’s conviction may strengthen the committee’s position on obtaining testimony and documents from those around Trump. Last year, Trump asked his staff not to cooperate with the commission, which he said was politically motivated. In addition to Bannon, Trump supporters such as Peter Navarro, Mark Meadows and Daniel Scavino also complied with Trump’s request. Navarro will go to trial in November for contempt of Congress. Meadows and Scavino ran away because they cooperated with the committee after all.
Bannon was a principal advisor to Republican Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, then served as his principal advisor in the White House until 2017. Bannon played an important role in the far-right media for decades.
