![]() On that daily online talk radio show, Bannon repeatedly bangs the civil war drum, casting Biden’s presidency as an illegitimate “regime” and rallying his supporters in a complete rejection of authority-that is, under current Democratic leadership.īannon often employs military science and gun culture code words, like when he asks his listeners to be a “force multiplier” to form a resistance against mask mandates. It's still not publicly known whether they have complied with the committee's demands, but Thompson's statement was meant to be taken as a hint that they are-or will.įor years, Bannon has helped fuel the rise of far-right politics with media ventures like the news website Breitbart and his current podcast War Room. Both could be considered hostile witnesses. The investigative group has issued similar subpoenas to Trump's final White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and a former advisor, Kash Patel. Bannon stands alone in his complete defiance of our subpoena," Thompson said, noting the importance in punishing him out of concern that his act of rebellion "may encourage others to follow Mr. Preate, the daughter of a former Pennsylvania attorney general, founded the New York City public relations firm Capital HQ and got into hot water in 2017 for being an unpaid “shadow” press secretary at the Trump White House.Ĭongressman Thompson also made a curious point at the meeting, noting "how isolated" Bannon is in resisting the committee's demands for testimony and records. “They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of January 6, and this committee will get to the bottom of that,” Cheney said.īannon’s long-time press contact, Alexandra Preate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Liz Cheney (R-WY), said that the privilege arguments by Bannon and Trump appear to hint at guilt. ![]() “At this point, we are not aware of any basis for your client’s refusal to appear for a deposition,” wrote Su, who is listed as deputy counsel to the president.ĭuring Tuesday’s meeting, the committee’s vice chair, Rep. Su noted that the president has already decided to not assert executive privilege and will allow congressional investigators to press on. ![]() A response letter on Monday signed by White House lawyer Jonathan C. The Biden administration also rejected the delay attempt. Bannon undermines the ability of the Committee to timely complete its essential responsibilities,” Thompson wrote. “The investigation of the Select Committee is extremely important and urgent for the nation, and further delay in compliance by Mr. On Monday, just as Trump filed his own lawsuit against the committee to block it from acquiring and inspecting his presidential records, Costello quickly fired off a one-paragraph letter asking for an extra week to “thoughtfully assess the impact of this pending litigation.” On Tuesday, Thompson wrote back swiftly rejecting the request, noting that Trump’s lawsuit had nothing to do with Bannon’s testimony. That argument notwithstanding, Bannon and his legal team don’t seem eager to make their argument in court. In early October, Bannon’s legal team informed the committee that he would defy the subpoena, relying on a novel legal approach by citing Trump’s “executive privilege”-even though Trump is clearly no longer president and Bannon was not employed by the White House at the time of the attack. It’s that connection to Trump that Bannon is using as a defense for not cooperating. Trump directly regarding the plans for January 6th on at least one occasion.” The committee laid out its motives for questioning Bannon in a resolution, noting that Bannon “appears to have had multiple roles relevant to this investigation, including his role in constructing and participating in the ‘stop the steal’ public relations effort that motivated the attack.” The resolution says Bannon maintained a ‘‘war room’’ at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., and “reportedly spoke with Mr. Instead, Bannon’s New York City attorney, Bob Costello, sent the committee letters stating that Bannon simply would not cooperate. 7 deadline, and he was a no-show at his scheduled congressional testimony on Oct. 23 demanding that Bannon turn over records and show up for a deposition the next month.īut Bannon refused to deliver documents by the Oct. The special committee issued a subpoena on Sept. And while Congress has the power to hold people in contempt, the power is rarely used-and hasn’t resulted in a criminal indictment in nearly 40 years.īannon’s case centers around his refusal to comply with subpoenas over his role in the Jan. But that punishment might take years to litigate, as Bannon ties up the court with legal challenges over dubious claims of executive privilege.
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