By Dareh Gregorian -
NBC News
The House of Representatives approved this Thursday a resolution declaring in contempt Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Donald Trump, and asking the Justice Department to criminally prosecute him for his refusal to cooperate in the parliamentary investigation into the January 6 assault on Capitol.
The resolution was approved by 229 votes in favor, the majority Democrats, and 202 against, all of them Republicans.
Nine Republicans voted in favor of the measure.
Greg Pence, R-Indiana and brother of former Vice President Mike Pence, did not vote.
"Steve Bannon has pushed us down this path by refusing to cooperate with our investigation,"
said Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House committee investigating the riots, before the vote.
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Thompson explained that
the commission needs to speak to Bannon because he may have very important information
about the attempts to obstruct the electoral vote recount that was to be held on January 6 in Congress and that was interrupted by the violent assault of incited Trump supporters. by the former president.
In a January 5 podcast, Bannon declared, "All hell is going to break loose tomorrow
... A lot of people said, 'If I was in a revolution, I'd be in Washington.'
Well, this is his moment in history. "
[Ex-military officers break into the Guatemalan Congress with sticks and stones during a protest]
Bannon, who met with Trump and his top allies before Jan. 6,
rejected the commission's request to testify and deliver documents about what he knew about the riots
.
His attorney argued that he should not comply with the subpoena because Trump could invoke executive privilege.
The committee members said that he still had an obligation to appear, testify and present the relevant documents.
"Bannon is alone in his defiance and we will not tolerate it,"
Thompson said.
"We have to make it clear that no person is above the law," he added.
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Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader and Republican for California, urged his colleagues to vote against the contempt decision, claiming that the panel had issued "an invalid subpoena" due to the lack of Republican representation in the commission of January 6.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, initially offered McCarthy five seats on the investigation committee, but he withdrew all of his electives after Pelosi rejected two of his options.
Despite this, the commission has two Republicans
, Representatives Liz Cheney for Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger for Illinois, who participate without the approval of the party leadership.
Political strategist Steve Bannon during an election rally in Richmond, Virginia, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.Steve Helber / AP
After Pelosi certifies today's vote in writing, the filing of a criminal complaint will be referred to the prosecutor's office in Washington, DC, which will then decide whether to press charges.
A conviction could carry a year in jail and a fine of up to $ 100,000
.
In the past, criminal charges have never been brought when executive privilege has been invoked, according to jurists.
Earlier in the day, while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked about the matter and said, "The Justice Department will do what it always does in these circumstances."
"We will apply the facts and the law and make a decision consistent with the principles of the prosecution," he said.