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Bannon Goes Full Scorched Earth in Epic Response to Trial
Steve Bannon, former top advisor with President Trump’s administration, went on trial this week for allegedly defying a subpoena to appear before the January 6th Committee. The trial began on Monday, July 18th. At the end of day one of the trial, Bannon appeared before the media and gave a fiery speech that some might call, “going full scorched earth.”
Bannon called out Bennie Thompson, the January 6 Committee Chairman, and challenged him saying,
“It’s very simple. Bennie Thompson sent a staffer over here. Where is Bennie Thompson? So Supneas Thompson is hiding behind his phony privileges. He subpoenaed people and is dodging them,” Bannon said, slamming Thompson.
”So I challenged Bennie Thompson today to have the courage to come to this courthouse if he is going to charge somebody with a crime. He’s got to be man enough to show up here or send somebody like Shifty Schiff or Fang Fang Swalwell.”
Watch the video here:
Bannon went FULL IRISH outside the Courthouse today and torched EVERYBODY pic.twitter.com/dLYr2fSQ2W
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 20, 2022
Jury selection began on Monday. By Tuesday, all twelve jurors and two alternates were selected.
On Wednesday, the Prosecution rested its case after calling just two witnesses, which included a senior staff member of the congressional panel, Kristin Amerling. She investigated the events taking place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th. Amerling, the committee’s deputy staff director and general counsel, testified as a prosecution witness against Bannon, stating he disregarded deadlines to respond to its September 2021 subpoena. She also told the jury, “we always welcome relevant documents and testimony.”
During the defense’s questioning of Amerling, she stated that if Bannon is interested in communicating with the committee, then “we would be interested in exploring that further.”
Bannon’s lawyer Evan Corcoran then asked the judge to let him introduce into evidence Trump’s July 9 letter to Bannon offering permission to testify and waiving any executive privilege claim and question Amerling about it. Nichols allowed it while telling jurors they cannot consider Bannon’s belief about executive privilege as an excuse or consider future offers of compliance as a defense against prior non-compliance.
Judge Nichols also let Corcoran enter into evidence a letter by the committee’s Democratic chairman, Bennie Thompson, responding to Bannon’s 11th-hour offer. Thompson asked Bannon to first produce documents before a deposition could be scheduled.
On Tuesday, Corcoran told jurors that Bannon believed the subpoena deadlines last year were not set in stone and that negotiations between his attorney and the committee would continue.
Bannon’s defense team said it plans to ask U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on Thursday to dismiss the charges against Bannon. Earlier in the day, Judge Nichols let the defense inform jurors that Trump this month gave the green light for Bannon to testify before the House of Representatives select committee after previously asking him not to cooperate.
Bannon has maintained that his legal team has been negotiating with the Jan. 6 Committee. He pled not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for defying the committee’s subpoena for testimony and documents as part of its inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021 event at the U.S. Capitol.