Steve Bannon’s appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction has been denied by the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. This means that Bannon will still have to serve his prison sentence for ignoring a subpoena related to the investigation of the January 6th Capitol riot. The three-judge panel ruled that granting Bannon’s appeal would ‘hamstring Congress’s investigatory authority.’
In a 20-page opinion, Judge Bradley Garcia wrote that ‘As both this court and the Supreme Court have repeatedly explained, a contrary rule would contravene the text of the contempt statute and hamstring Congress’s investigatory authority.’ Garcia also dismissed Bannon’s claim that he acted on the advice of his legal team, writing that ‘advice of counsel’ is ‘no defense at all.’
Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine in October 2022 for ignoring the congressional subpoena. He is appealing Friday’s ruling, with his attorney arguing that there are ‘many fundamentally important constitutional issues at stake in this case.’
Bannon’s case is part of a series of prosecutions related to the January 6th riot. Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro is currently serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress, and other Trump administration officials are facing similar charges.
The decision to deny Bannon’s appeal is a significant blow to his efforts to avoid prison time. It also sends a strong message that those who defy congressional subpoenas will be held accountable. The investigation into the January 6th riot is ongoing, and it is likely that more indictments will be handed down in the coming months.
