Steve Bannon has been charged with contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the legislative committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol siege.
Bannon, who was a political adviser to then-President Donald Trump, is charged with one count for failing to appear for a deposition and another for refusing to hand over documents.
The Justice Department’s move exposes Bannon to fines and as much as a year of jail time for each count. It follows weeks of deliberation by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who will oversee the criminal case.
“Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”
A Justice Department official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said Bannon is expected to surrender Monday and appear in court that afternoon.
Bannon refused to cooperate with the House panel investigating the storming of the Capitol, arguing he was covered under an assertion of executive privilege by Trump.
But legal experts said that claim lacked merit because Bannon is a private citizen who had not worked inside the White House for years — and because the current president, Joe Biden, had waived privilege on several matters before the House committee.
Bannon not only declined to share documents, but he also refused to show up for testimony with the committee. The House voted to approve a criminal contempt referral for him last month.
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