Steve Bannon has turned himself over to federal authorities after Congress levied contempt charges against him for defying a subpoena from a House select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon was taken into custody Monday and will be processed. He is expected to appear in court later Monday afternoon.
The once-top adviser to former President Donald Trump faces two counts of criminal contempt – one for refusing to appear to give a deposition before Congress and another for rejecting a demand for documents in response to a subpoena from the committee.
Bannon, 67, spoke with reporters before he entered the FBI’s field office in Washington, D.C. The turn-over was live-streamed on Gettr. “I don’t want anybody to take their eye off the ball what we do every day,” he said.
“We got the Hispanics going on our side, Americans coming on our side. We’re taking down the Biden regime,” said Bannon, who now hosts the show “War Room.” “Remember, signal, not noise,” he said. “This is all noise, that’s signal.”
Bannon faces up to two years in jail if convicted on both counts and fines of up to $2,000.
The Department of Justice on Friday released a statement on the indictments.
Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon, 67, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. An arraignment date has not yet been set in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”
“As detailed in the indictment, on Sept. 23, 2021, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Mr. Bannon,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee. According to the indictment, Mr. Bannon refused to appear to give testimony as required by subpoena and refused to produce documents in compliance with a subpoena.”
In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Bannon had information relevant to understanding events related to Jan. 6. Bannon, formerly a Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President, has been a private citizen since departing the White House in 2017.
Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $1,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.