U.S. House of Representatives Holds Bannon in Contempt of Congress

Steve Bannon could face criminal prosecution for refusing to cooperate with a probe into the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol after the House of Representatives recently voted 229 to 202, with nine Republicans joining Democrats to recommend holding him in contempt of Congress, reports Reuters. The Democratic-led panel hopes the threat of jail time–contempt of Congress carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine–will encourage cooperation from the 18 other Trump aides and rally organizers who also have been subpoenaed.

The select committee argued that Bannon had made statements suggesting he knew ahead of time about “extreme events” that would take place on January 6. The contempt of Congress statute, passed in 1857, states that the Justice Department has a duty to bring a House contempt citation before a grand jury. But the Justice Department historically has said it makes the ultimate decision about whether to prosecute individuals who defy congressional subpoenas. The last successful prosecution for contempt of Congress was in 1974 when a judge found Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy guilty. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will make the final decision on whether to prosecute, and has yet to indicate how the department will respond. He told a House Judiciary Committee hearing that the department would “apply the facts and the law” and make decisions “consistent with the principles of prosecution.”