House holds Steve Bannon in criminal contempt

Nine Republicans joined every House Democrat to hold the former White House aide and strategist in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the committee investigating the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington will decide whether to take a case against Bannon to a grand jury for criminal charges. A trial could take several years.

What happened? Bannon missed a mandatory deposition and said he cannot testify until executive privilege issues are resolved. Former President Donald Trump has claimed executive privilege can prevent his advisers from having to testify, but President Joe Biden waived the privilege for some of Trump’s documents in the National Archives. Although Bannon was not working for Trump on Jan. 6, records indicate he spoke with the president before the riot and publicly supported Stop the Steal protests that preceded it.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift about Trump’s last-minute pardon for Bannon.