Steve Bannon, a close confidant of Trump, is accused of refusing to testify in Congress

Steve Bannon, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, is accused of “contempt of CongressOn Friday, November 12, the US Department of Justice announced its refusal to participate in the investigations into the January 6 assault on the Capitol.

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The 67-year-old former adviser, who was one of the architects of Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign in 2016 before he fell from grace, is on trial for refusing to testify and passing documents to the special parliamentary committee investigating the attack. at Congress House.

legal battle

Although summoned in mid-October, Steve Bannon did not appear before elected officials, invoking the right of presidents to keep certain documents and discussions secret. But according to the commission, this protection does not apply because Trump is no longer president and has never formally confirmed this privilege to the executive branch.

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Steve Bannon was one of the architects of the Republican candidate’s successful presidential campaign in 2016 before falling short of grace. He did not take up any official duties on January 6, but appears to have discussed the protest with the president in the previous days, according to the commission of inquiry. He faces between 30 days and a year in prison for each count and will be tried in federal court. But the legal battle could take months or years, which could undermine the investigation.

A close confidant of Donald Trump, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, also refused a subpoena Friday to appear before a largely Democratic investigative committee. It was based on a court decision announced Thursday, which temporarily suspends until November 30 the transmission of internal documents from the White House to the Commission. The former president invoked the executive branch’s right to keep certain information confidential. The inquiry responded in a statement that US President Joe Biden had already authorized the release of the documents and that Mark Meadows was required to testify, warning the former chief of staff of a possible indictment.Contempt of Congress as well.