Steve Bannon: House votes for Trump’s former aide to face contempt charge

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to despise former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, opening him to a potential trial.

Mr. Bannon had defied a call from a congressional group investigating the January 6 uprising on the United States Capitol.

The House Select Committee voted to despise him on Tuesday, before moving the matter to full court.

Thursday’s vote fell largely along party lines, with 229 in favor versus 202 against.

Only nine Republicans in the Democrat-controlled chamber voted to despise Bannon.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is now expected to certify the vote before it is referred to the US Department of Justice, which has the final say on the allegations.

A committee investigating the uprising sought testimony from Bannon about his communications with Trump prior to the Capitol invasion, as well as any knowledge he might have of plans to overturn the November 2020 election results.

Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and stopped certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory. More than 670 people were arrested.

Earlier in the vote on Thursday, Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee on January 6, said Bannon is believed to have “valuable” information about the uprising.

“He was deeply involved in the so-called Stop the Steal campaign,” said the Mississippi Democrat.

“The day before the riot he was reportedly in a ‘war room’ meeting and was lobbying the former president to try to stop the counting of constituency ballots.

“He himself warned that hell would break loose on January 6.”

Mr. Thompson added that the committee feels it is important to make it clear that no one can avoid a Congressional subpoena.

“What kind of precedent would it create for the House of Representatives if we allowed a witness to ignore us completely without facing any kind of consequence?” He said.

United States Attorney General Merrick Garland, who heads the Justice Department, testified in Congress Thursday about the likelihood of criminal charges for Bannon.

Garland said the department “applies the facts and the law and makes a decision consistent with the principles of the prosecution.”

Cases of outrage to Congress are notoriously difficult to contest: the last time such proceedings took place in 1983 against a Reagan administration official.

Trump urged former aides and allies to reject requests to testify before the committee on January 6, arguing that his communications at the time are protected by executive privilege, a legal principle that protects many White House communications.

Mr. Bannon has yet to comment on the proceedings. His attorney previously said he will only cooperate if Trump’s executive privilege claim is legally resolved.