Politics

Steve Bannon Convicted Of Contempt, Faces Up To 2 Years In Jail

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
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A Washington, D.C., jury convicted Steve Bannon of two charges of contempt of Congress stemming from his ignoring of a subpoena from the Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The jury convicted Bannon on Friday after three hours of deliberation. He faces between 60 days and two years in jail and a fine between $200 and $200,000, according to the Department of Justice.

District Court Judge Carl Nichols ruled that Bannon and his attorneys would not be allowed to present an executive privilege defense. He also rejected Bannon’s motion for a three month trial delay. As a result, Bannon and his team did not present a defense. (RELATED: Biden Says DOJ Should Prosecute Former Trump Officials Defying Jan. 6 Subpoenas, Prompts Damage Control From Admin)

Bannon first attempted to assert executive privilege when subpoenaed by Congress in September 2021, but the committee and President Joe Biden rejected his arguments. Eight Republicans voted with all 221 Democrats in the House of Representatives to hold Bannon in contempt. The House of Representatives also voted to hold former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress, but the Department of Justice has not yet brought charges.

Bannon was last a White House official in 2017. He will be sentenced at a later date.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.