Steve Bannon, longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, has surrendered himself to authorities to face contempt charges following his refusal to comply with a congressional investigation into the January 6 Capitol riot.
HAPPENING NOW: Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is surrendering to authorities over contempt charges. pic.twitter.com/eZsM0sGjh4
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 15, 2021
Bannon was taken into custody on Monday morning and is expected to appear in court later in the afternoon. The 67-year-old was charged with two counts of criminal contempt on Friday, one for refusing to appear for a deposition from Congress and the other for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s summons .
The indictment came as a second expected witness, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, defied his own committee subpoena on Friday and as Trump stepped up his legal battles for withhold documents and testimonies about the insurgency.
If the House votes to despise Meadows, that recommendation would also be sent to the Justice Department for a possible indictment.
Officials in the Democratic and Republican administrations have been found in contempt by Congress, but criminal charges for contempt are extremely rare.
The indictment against Bannon comes after a large number of Trump administration officials, including Bannon, have defied congressional demands and demands for the past five years with little consequence, including when ‘an impeachment inquiry. President Barack Obama’s administration has also refused to indict two of its officials who defied Congress’ demands.
Bannon, who worked in the White House during the early days of the Trump administration and currently serves as host of the conspiratorial War Room podcast, is a private citizen who refused to testify as required by a subpoena, according to the indictment.
