The House Committee investigating January’s Capitol riots voted unanimously Tuesday night to hold longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. Bannon has defied a subpoena from the committee for documents and testimony. The video above shows the vote, as well as opening statements from the committee’s chair and vice chair.
“It’s shocking to me, shocking that anyone would not do anything in their power to assist our investigation,” committee chairman Bennie Thompson said during opening statements of Tuesday’s meeting. “So it’s a shame that Mr. Bannon has put us in this position. But we won’t take no for an answer.”
Rep. Thompson announced the vote would be happening late last week. The committee says it is pursuing Bannon’s testimony because of his reported communications with Trump ahead of the riots, as well as his Jan. 5 comments saying “all hell is going to break loose” the next day.
A lawyer for former President Trump has argued Bannon should not disclose information because it is protected by the privilege of the former president’s office. The committee countered by saying Bannon is not protected because he was a private citizen when he spoke to Trump ahead of the attack.
“Mr. Bannon’s and Mr. Trump’s privilege arguments do, however, appear to reveal one thing,” committee vice chairwoman Liz Cheney said. “They suggest that President Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of Jan. 6, and this committee will get to the bottom of that.”
The Tuesday evening committee vote sends the resolution to hold Bannon in contempt to the full House. Representatives are expected to vote on the measure Thursday. House approval would send the matter to the Justice Department, who would have the final say on whether to pursue criminal charges against Bannon.
Suggesting that Bannon defy his subpoena is not the only way Trump and his legal team are trying to impede the investigation. On Monday, Trump filed a lawsuit to block the release of documents related to the riots. Trump said the committee’s request for documents was “almost limitless in scope”. He claimed the committee sought records that weren’t connected to the riots, calling the request a “vexatious, illegal fishing expedition” that was “untethered from any legitimate legislative purpose”.