***BREAKING***
The political witch hunt continues….
Reports are just now breaking that Steve Bannon has been indicted:
BREAKING: Stephen K. Bannon indicted for Contempt of Congresshttps://t.co/NJBGCtJ4HP
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 12, 2021
Breaking on @CNN: Trump adviser Steve Bannon has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 12, 2021
BREAKING: Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon indicted by federal grand jury, charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions from Jan. 6 committee. https://t.co/RC2TmpMbIy
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 12, 2021
Feels politically motivated to me, how about you?
From Justice.gov here is the full announcement:
Stephen K. Bannon Indicted for Contempt of Congress
Two Charges Filed for Failing to Honor House Subpoena From Select Committee Investigating Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon, 67, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. An arraignment date has not yet been set in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”
“As detailed in the indictment, on Sept. 23, 2021, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Mr. Bannon,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee. According to the indictment, Mr. Bannon refused to appear to give testimony as required by subpoena and refused to produce documents in compliance with a subpoena.”
In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Bannon had information relevant to understanding events related to Jan. 6. Bannon, formerly a Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President, has been a private citizen since departing the White House in 2017.
Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $1,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
BREAKING: Steve Bannon has been indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 Select Committee. @MSNBC
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 12, 2021
And from NBC News here are more details:
The indictment is a first. No one has ever been prosecuted before for contempt of Congress when executive privilege was asserted. The past cases involved defendants whose testimony was sought regarding their government service. Bannon, by contrast, left his White House job in 2017, well before the period of interest to the House committee.
If convicted, Bannon could face up to a year behind bars and a fine of up to $100,000.
The fact that the Justice Department was willing to charge him with criminal contempt, despite an assertion of executive privilege, may help persuade other reluctant witnesses to agree to cooperate with the committee’s investigation.
The committee has subpoenaed 16 former Trump White House officials for testimony, documents or both.
The House voted Oct. 27 to find Bannon in contempt after he declined to provide the Jan. 6 committee with documents and testimony. Committee members cited comments Bannon made on his radio program the day before the riot.
“All hell is going to break loose tomorrow,” he said on the program.
The House panel said the statement suggested that “he had some foreknowledge about extreme events that would occur the next day.”
Bannon’s lawyer, Robert Costello, told the committee in a letter that his client would not comply with the subpoena. The letter said former President Donald Trump was choosing to assert executive privilege and encouraging his former aides not to reveal anything that might be covered by the privilege.
Your thoughts?
Witch hunt?
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