Bannon’s criminal contempt trial on track for next week

Jul 14, 2022, 9:11 AM | Updated: 9:25 pm
FILE - Former White House strategist Steve Bannon speaks with reporters after departing federal cou...

FILE - Former White House strategist Steve Bannon speaks with reporters after departing federal court on Nov. 15, 2021, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said Thursday that the criminal contempt trial of Steve Bannon can start as scheduled next week and that the extensive media coverage of the onetime adviser to former President Donald Trump should not be a barrier to selecting an unbiased jury to hear the case.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols had earlier in the week rejected a bid by Bannon’s lawyers to delay his trial, which is scheduled to start Monday with jury selection. He made a similar ruling Thursday, turning aside concerns from Bannon’s lawyers about a CNN report set to air on the eve of trial and what they said were prejudicial comments made during a hearing this week hosted by the House committee investigating the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“I am cognizant of current concerns about publicity and bias and whether we can seat a jury that is going to be appropriate and fair, but as I said before, I believe the appropriate course is to go through the voir dire process,” Nichols said, referring to the questioning of individual jurors before they are selected. “And I have every intention of getting a jury that is going to be appropriate, fair and unbiased.”

Bannon is charged in Washington’s federal court with defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee that sought his records and testimony. Bannon was indicted in November on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, one month after the Justice Department received a congressional referral. Each count carries a minimum of 30 days of jail and as long as a year behind bars.

He previously argued that his testimony is protected by Trump’s claim of executive privilege.

A lawyer for Bannon told the committee in a letter over the weekend that Bannon was now prepared to testify after Trump issued his own letter saying he would waive any claim of executive privilege.

Though such a professed willingness to testify won’t erase the criminal charges Bannon faces, Nichols left open the possibility that the letters could be referenced at trial, saying the information was “at least potentially relevant” to Bannon’s defense.

The judge mused earlier Thursday that Bannon could argue that he believed the committee’s dates for compliance with the subpoena were malleable and flexible — an argument prosecutors say is belied by the facts and the law.

“The crime of default (with regard to a subpoena) is complete at the time,” prosecutor Amanda Vaughn said.

_____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
3 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
11 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
11 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
18 days ago
A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The cal...
Associated Press

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction

U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
18 days ago
(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...
Sponsored Content by OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here's what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Celebrate 50 years of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade magic!

Since its first production in the early 1970s, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe has been a staple of Valley traditions, bringing family fun and excitement to downtown Phoenix.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care photo)...
DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Why DISC is world renowned for back and neck pain treatments

Fifty percent of Americans and 90% of people at least 50 years old have some level of degenerative disc disease.
Bannon’s criminal contempt trial on track for next week