Steve Bannon, who served as a White House adviser to former President Donald Trump, surrendered to federal authorities on Monday to face contempt charges after challenging a subpoena from a House committee investigating the January 6 violent insurrection. against the Capitol.
Bannon, 67, was taken into custody in the morning and is expected to appear in court in the late afternoon.
On Friday, he was charged with two counts of criminal contempt:
one for refusing to appear in a statement before Congress and another for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee's subpoena.
The indictment came as a second witness, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, also challenged his subpoena from the committee on Friday, and as
Trump has escalated his legal battle to withhold documents and testimony about the insurrection
from his violent supporters. against democracy.
If the House of Representatives votes to hold Meadows in contempt, that recommendation would also be sent to the Justice Department for possible criminal indictment.
Steve Bannon during his arrival at the FBI office in Washington.Carolyn Kaster / AP
Both Democratic and Republican government officials have previously been held in contempt by Congress, but criminal charges are extremely rare.
The impeachment against Bannon comes after a number of Trump administration officials - including Bannon - challenged Congressional petitions and demands over the past five years with little consequence, even during the former president's impeachment.
The Barack Obama Administration avoided indicting two of its officials
who defied the demands of Congress.
[A grand jury indicts Steve Bannon, Trump's former adviser, in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify in the Capitol robbery investigation]
The indictment against Bannon claims that he contacted the congressional committee from receiving the summons on September 24 until October 7, when his lawyer sent a letter seven hours after he was due to deliver the requested documents.
Bannon, who served in the White House in the Trump Administration and is currently the host of the
conspiratorial
War Room
podcast
, is a private citizen who "refused to appear to give testimony as required by a subpoena," the indictment says.
[White House denies Donald Trump another request for executive privilege]
When Bannon declined to appear in October,
his attorney said that Trump's former adviser had been advised by a Trump attorney
, citing executive privilege not to answer questions from Congress for having worked for the White House.