Trump adviser Bannon attacked Biden over charges of investigating the Capitol riot

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser Steve Bannon on Monday sought to present criminal charges for his disobedience to a congressional inquiry into the deadly Jan. 6 riots in the Capitol as politically motivated, attacking President Joe Biden and others.

Bannon, who was charged by a federal grand jury Friday with two counts of contempt in Congress, made his first appearance in court, with Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather releasing him on his personal recognition after a brief hearing. . Hours before that, Bannon went to an FBI field office in Washington, which was on the verge of bodyguards dressed in black.

The conditions set by Meriweather for Bannon’s release did not include an order not to discuss the case publicly. Bannon shortly after the hearing addressed a crowd of journalists outside the federal courthouse.

“I’m never going to back down. They took on the wrong guy this time,” said Bannon, a one -time Trump chief strategist and one of more than 30 people close to the Republican former president called to testify. Democratic-led. Select a House of Representatives committee reviewing the Jan. 6 attack.

Bannon focused on Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“I’m telling you now, this is going to be a misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden,” Bannon said.

“We’re going to go on the offense. We’re tired of playing defense,” Bannon said, claiming without offering evidence that Biden ordered Garland to bring the charges.

Bannon was charged with one contempt count for refusing to appear for a deposition before the committee and a second count for refusing to present documents. The House voted in Oct. 21 to contempt Bannon, leaving it to the Justice Department, headed by Garland, to decide on the filing of cases.

Before surrendering to the FBI, Bannon told reporters, “We’re removing the Biden regime,” though he didn’t specify what he meant by “removal.” A demonstrator standing behind him was holding a sign that read “Coup Plotter.”

A mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a failed attempt to prevent formal congressional certification of his election defeat to Biden. The committee reviews Trump’s actions in relation to those events. Bannon was the first to face criminal charges stemming from the panel’s questioning.

Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison along with a fine of up to $ 100,000, according to the Justice Department. The department said Friday that Bannon faces a fine of up to $ 1,000.

Steve Bannon, talk show host and former White House advisor to former President Donald Trump, came to the FBI’s Washington field office to hand himself over to federal authorities after being accused of refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena on the allegations. attack on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., Nov. 15, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

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Contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison along with a monetary fine.

Meriweather imposed certain conditions on Bannon including the surrender of his US passport. Bannon did not enter a plea, with an arraignment scheduled for Thursday.

EXECUTIVE PRIVATE

Trump tried to stonewall the House committee and ordered his colleagues not to cooperate. In denying his subpoena, Bannon cited Trump’s insistence – already denied by a judge – that the former president has the right to keep the requested material confidential under a legal doctrine called executive privilege.

Bannon, a prominent figure in right-wing media circles, was an architect of Trump’s 2016 presidential victory and served as White House chief strategist in 2017. The former Goldman Sachs Group Inc banker and Navy veteran promoted right-wing cause and candidates in the United States and abroad.

Bannon was separately charged last year of defrauding donors in a private fundraising effort to bolster Trump’s promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. Trump pardoned Bannon before the case went to trial.

The House committee said Bannon made public statements suggesting he knew in advance about the “extreme events” that would take place on Jan. 6. Bannon said in a Jan. 5 podcast that “all hell will be gone. tomorrow. “

Shortly before the riot, Trump gave a speech to supporters near the White House reiterating his false claim that the election was stolen from him by widespread vote fraud and urging them to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell “to” stop stealing. “

House investigators hope the Bannon charges will motivate other witnesses including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who on Friday refused to appear for a deposition, to testify.

Bannon’s attorney David Schoen stressed after Monday’s hearing that his client’s actions on his subpoena were guided by Trump’s call for executive privilege.

“You can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” Schoen said. “Mr. Bannon acted as his lawyer advised him to do by not appearance and by not turn over documents in this case.”

Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Matt Spetalnick; Edited by Will Dunham and Scott Malone

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