Supreme Court sends Steve Bannon contempt case back to district court
by Lisa Hornung · UPIApril 6 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court paved the way for the Trump administration to overturn the conviction of Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress.
Bannon, a political strategist and podcast host, was convicted of contempt because he didn't show up for a Congressional hearing on the events of Jan 6, 2021. He served four months in prison for the conviction and was released in October 2024. He also paid a fine of $6,500. But he still wants the conviction overturned.
The court sent the case back to a district judge in Washington, which erased the appeals court ruling that upheld the jury verdict. Usually, that would mean a new trial. But since Trump took office, the Department of Justice has wanted to dismiss the case against him, calling it "in the interests of justice." That would negate his conviction.
The conviction came in 2022 for two counts of contempt of Congress. At the time, the Supreme Court rejected his efforts to stay out of prison.
The subpoenas in the case sought documents and testimony on the Jan. 6 attack.
Bannon has argued that his lawyer advised him to ignore the subpoenas. He said he acted in good faith and believed that he couldn't follow the subpoenas because Trump had invoked executive privilege, which allowed Trump to withhold specific communications.
Trump has pardoned about 1,600 people for charges related to the attack. He also pardoned Bannon at the end of his first term for a fraud conviction in which Bannon was accused of defrauding hundreds of people for thousands of dollars in his "We Build the Wall" campaign.
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President Donald Trump delivers a prime-time address to the nation from the Cross Hall in the White House on Wednesday. President Trump used the address to update the public on the month-long war in Iran. Pool photo by Alex Brandon/UPI | License Photo