Steve Bannon led Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign. (File)
Washington:
Former Trump aide Steve Bannon believes he has “ruled the law” by defying subpoenas to testify before lawmakers investigating the 2021 Capitol attack, a US prosecutor has said. Tuesday as arguments began in his federal trial for contempt of Congress.
Bannon, who spearheaded Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign, was among dozens of people called by the House committee to testify about the congressional storm by Trump supporters on May 6. 1 year 2021.
The 68-year-old man did not appear on the day of the summons or provide requested documents related to the attack and the events leading up to the attack, and was charged with two counts of contempt.
Prosecutor Amanda Vaughn said in her opening statement to a panel of 12 jurors and two selected surrogates Tuesday in court in Washington. “And that’s why we’re here today.”
“He ignored orders to comply, even after Congress dismissed his reasons for not doing so, and he dismissed many warnings that he could face criminal prosecution,” she said. the.
Bannon’s attorney Evan Corcoran denied that his client ignored the subpoena, saying the date was “the subject of ongoing discussions and negotiations” and was “flexible”, noting that This is typical procedure for a House committee.
According to the panel, Bannon spoke with Trump the day before thousands of former president’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to block Democratic Joe Biden’s election victory credentials.
They were provoked by Trump in a fiery speech near the White House in which he repeated his false claims about election fraud.
Corcoran said the decision to hold Bannon in contempt was politically motivated, saying “politics is the lifeblood of the US House of Representatives” and that it “infringes on every decision they make.”
Vaughn said the committee has reason to believe that Bannon and other Trump advisers may have information about connections between the White House and the rioters.
After refusing to testify for months, Bannon finally agreed this month to cooperate with the House investigation, a move prosecutors said was previously a “last-minute attempt to avoid liability.” duty.”
Bannon’s attorneys sought to delay the start of the trial, but U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols dismissed the motion.
Prosecutors called their first witness, deputy commissioner and chief counsel Kristin Amerling, near the end of the session.
Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategy officer at the White House before being fired in 2017, could face between 30 days and a year in prison on each count if found guilty in what is expected to happen. fast.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
