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A federal judge on Friday denied a request by Steve Bannon for a new trial, more than a month after jurors convicted him of contempt of Congress after he ignored a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee.
Bannon argued for a new trial based on perceived flawed instructions to the jury and that he was blocked from having lawmakers, including members of the House select committee, testify at his trial, among other issues.
“Defendant’s arguments are foreclosed by binding precedent from the Court of Appeals, which this Court cannot, of course, ignore,” wrote U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols. “Defendant’s arguments on this score do not warrant a new trial.”
STEVE BANNON WILLING TO TESTIFY BEFORE JAN. 6 COMMITTEE AFTER TRUMP WAIVES EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon speaks with the media at the end of the opening day of his trial on contempt of Congress charges. On Friday, a federal judge denied his request for a new trial after he was convicted in July.
(Reuters/Michael A. McCoy)
“Defendant has not shown that the testimony from any member of the House of Representatives that he sought would be material,” Nichols wrote.
Bannon, the former Trump White House chief strategist, was found guilty in July of two misdemeanor charges related to him not showing up to testify before the committee in charge of investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol. The riot was a result of Trump supporters trying to prevent Congress from certifying President Biden’s November 2020 election victory.
He claimed executive privilege precluded him from appearing before the committee to talk about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, though prosecutors noted he left the White House in 2017.
At one point, Trump declared he was waiving executive privilege regarding Bannon, clearing the way for him to testify before the committee.
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Bannon is expected to be sentenced Oct. 21 and faces a minimum of 30 days in jail.
