Former White House official Steve Bannon's appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction was denied on Friday. This decision means that Bannon will have to serve jail time for ignoring a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In a 20-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stated that granting Bannon's appeal would 'hamstring Congress’s investigatory authority.' Bannon had claimed that he acted on the advice of his legal team and did not intend to break the law. However, the court ruled that the 'advice of counsel' defense is not a valid defense.
Judge Bradley Garcia wrote, 'Because we have no basis to depart from that binding precedent, and because none of Bannon’s other challenges to his convictions have merit, we affirm.'
Bannon, aged 70, was sentenced to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine in October 2022 for ignoring the congressional subpoena. Despite the ruling, Bannon plans to appeal the decision.
His attorney, David Schoen, stated, 'There are many fundamentally important constitutional issues at stake in this case. Today’s decision is wrong as a matter of law, and it reflects a very dangerous view of the threshold for criminal liability for any defendant in our country and for future political abuses of the congressional hearing process.'
Other officials who served under Trump have also faced consequences for contempt of Congress. Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro began serving his four-month sentence at a Miami correctional facility in March.
Navarro expressed his willingness to comply with the sentence, stating, 'I will walk proudly in there to do my time. I will gather strength from this: Donald John Trump is the nominee.'
