Bannon denies he was in contempt of Congress at second day of his trial

Amber CoakleyJuly 20, 2022

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon, left, speaks with reporters as he departs federal court on Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Washington. Accompanying Bannon is his attorney M. Evan Corcoran. Bannon, a one-time adviser to former President Donald Trump, faces criminal contempt of Congress charges after refusing for months to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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UPDATED 8:11 AM PT – Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon denied he broke the law by not immediately adhering to the January 6 Committee’s subpoena. On Tuesday, the prosecution accused the former White House aide of believing he is above the law.

Steve Bannon arrives in court with a smile as his show trial begins today in the imperial capitol pic.twitter.com/1tdDJtButs

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 18, 2022

However, Bannon’s defense argued he did not outright ignore the subpoena because his legal team was in negotiations with the committee. His attorney claimed the subpoena was politically motivated, while his client decried the panel as a kangaroo court.

“And for them to sit there and try to get a complete hearing, and they won’t bring in any testimony, any testimony about FBI involvement, any testimony about DHS involvement, any testimony about any other involvement,” Bannon stated. “And what’s driving this, the total and complete illegitimacy of Joe Biden. Trump won. Joe Biden is illegitimate.”

Bannon has been charged with two counts of contempt of Congress, each of which carries a 30-day sentence behind bars and a maximum sentence of one-year in prison.