NEW YORK, N.Y. – AUGUST 20: Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon exits the Manhattan Federal Court on August 20, 2020 in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:32 PM PT – Thursday, October 21, 2021
The House of Representatives voted to hold former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee.
The lower chamber voted to refer criminal contempt charges against Bannon to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington on Thursday. Bannon has declined to cooperate with the subpoena until executive privilege concerns raised by 45th President Trump are resolved by the courts.
The Department of Justice will now determine whether to prosecute Bannon for contempt. Speaking on the matter, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the agency will be following “the facts and the law,” but didn’t say if he planned to prosecute Bannon.
This comes after the Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to prosecute Bannon after he refused to appear and produce records for the panel.
“We believe Mr. Bannon has information relevant to our probe, and we’ll use the tools at our disposal to get that information,” said Chairman Bennie Thompson prior to the vote. “I expect that the House will quickly adopt this referral to the Justice Department and that the U.S. Attorney will do his duty and prosecute Mr. Bannon for criminal contempt of Congress.”
Bannon was ordered to appear before the committee, but Trump had advised his former staffers to defy Democrat subpoenas amid his ongoing litigation against the politically-motivated probe. Bannon’s lawyers said he was following the direction of the 45th president’s legal team.
WATCH: Matt Gaetz RIPS J6-Obsessed Dems Targeting Steve Bannon
“Do you really think your constituents are hoping you guys are here sharing your hot takes on Steve Bannon’s podcast rather than dealing with crushing inflation, the border crisis, or problems America faces abroad?” pic.twitter.com/v1NfBvoVV7
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 20, 2021
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