Appeals Court Upholds Steve Bannon's Conviction for Defying Jan. 6 Probe

In a significant legal development, a federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to Donald Trump, for defying a subpoena from the congressional panel that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The unanimous decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia marks a critical moment in the legal aftermath of the January 6 events, underscoring the judiciary's stance on the enforcement of congressional subpoenas.

Appeals Court Upholds Steve Bannon's Conviction for Defying Jan. 6 Probe

Bannon, who served as a chief strategist in the Trump White House before departing in August 2017, was found guilty of contempt of Congress after he rebuffed the House select committee's demand that he sit for a deposition and hand over documents. The conviction stems from Bannon's refusal to comply with the subpoena issued by the House committee, which sought his testimony and documents related to the events leading up to the Capitol riot.

The court's decision, which includes appointees from both Democratic and Republican administrations, found that Bannon could not reasonably argue that the subpoena from the House January 6 committee was for an improper purpose, given its investigation into the Capitol riot. This ruling emphasizes that Bannon's case does not present any unique circumstances that would justify his defiance of the subpoena.

The three-judge panel, composed of Obama, Biden, and Trump appointees, rejected Bannon's arguments, maintaining a clear stance on the enforcement of congressional subpoenas. The conviction sentences Bannon to four months in jail, a decision that underscores the judiciary's commitment to upholding the rule of law and the authority of Congress to conduct investigations.

The court's opinion, which spans 20 pages, highlights the binding precedent in such cases, stating that Bannon had no legal rationale for his blanket refusal to comply with the subpoena. This decision is consistent with the recent trend of courts rejecting attempts by former Trump administration officials to avoid accountability for their actions related to the January 6 events.

The ruling also comes after federal courts, including the Supreme Court, rejected a similar bid by former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro to stave off his own four-month sentence for defying the January 6 committee. Both Bannon and Navarro worked together on a strategy they dubbed the “Green Bay Sweep,” a plan to organize objections by members of Congress to electoral votes from states President Biden won in 2020.

With the appeals court's decision, Bannon now faces a four-month prison term, unless he chooses to appeal the ruling to the full 11-member bench of the appeals court or the Supreme Court. This decision serves as a clear signal that the judiciary will not tolerate defiance of congressional subpoenas, especially in matters of national significance such as the January 6 Capitol riot.