Former United States President Donald Trump's former senior aide, Steve Bannon, surrendered himself to authorities and came face-to-face with officials in federal court on Monday, three days after a grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress.
Previously, Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena given to him by the House Select Committee responsible for investigating the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. The incident with Bannon was a significant sign of the escalating tensions between Trump's allies and the committee.
Contempt of Congress
The former senior aide promised to fight back aggressively against what he called was a political prosecution of the Republican businessman. The matter surfaces as the House Select Committee issued dozens of subpoenas to close allies of the former president in an attempt to obtain testimonies and documents that could help shed light on the events leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.
The committee's charges against Bannon were made as a warning to individuals who were issued subpoenas and opted to defy the committee's requests. However, the former senior aide has also shown that he plans to take advantage of his time in the spotlight to push his own perspective on a broader audience, Seattle Times reported.
During Bannon's time in front of a judge on Monday, he declared that he was "taking on the Biden regime" in fighting the charges imposed on him. The former senior aide is scheduled to return to court on Thursday after not entering a plea. Next week's meeting will mark the next phase of what many consider to be the first high-level trial in connection to the House Select Committee's investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.
The former official has been combative even outside the court and even said that he was "going on the offense" against the attorney general, the speaker of the House, and President Joe Biden. Bannon's declaration said the events would be a "misdemeanor from hell" for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, and Biden.
Defying a Subpoena
The two federal counts that Bannon is facing are one, for his refusal to appear for a congressional deposition and the second is for refusing to provide documents in response to the select committee's subpoena. While Federal Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather released Bannon without bail, the former senior aide is required to check in weekly with court officials. He was also ordered to surrender his passport to keep him from fleeing the country, the Associated Press reported.
Bannon faces a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year behind bars on each count if he is convicted, said prosecutors.
Just before the former Trump official surrendered himself to the FBI on Monday, he went on social media, telling his supporters to "stay focused." During his live stream, Bannon said he did not want any single person to take their eyes off the incident.
A civil rights attorney who defended Trump during the former president's second impeachment trial, David Schoen, also appeared at Bannon's trial. Bannon did not comply with the committee's subpoena due to following the advice of his lawyer at the time, said Schoen, CNN reported.
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