The Surging News reporter Gong Siliang comprehensive report
On July 22, Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist at the Trump White House, was reportedly convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a house task force subpoena investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riots. Bannon faces up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Bannon's team of lawyers has said it plans to appeal. [1]
After nearly two days of hearings, the jury reached a unanimous verdict on two contempt charges in less than three hours. Federal prosecutor Amanda Vaughn said in her opening statement at the trial that the subpoena was not a "request" or an "invitation." "It's mandatory," she said. "The defendant believes he is above the law." Speaking to reporters after his conviction, Bannon said: "We may have lost a battle today, but we will not lose this war," stressing his support for Trump and the Constitution. [2] In response, Trump tweeted on July 23 on his self-created social media platform, Trust Social, criticizing the special committee as a "fake courtroom" and accusing it of being "corrupt and highly partisan".
On July 22, 2022, local time, In Washington, D.C., Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon (right) listened to his lawyer, David Sean, speak to the media outside federal court. The U.S. federal jury ruled that Bannon had been convicted of contempt of Congress for ignoring a subpoena issued to him by the House Special Inquiry Committee.
How did Bannon instigate the January 6 incident?
The Special Committee found Bannon to be a key witness in the Jan. 6 shock to Congress. The day before the U.S. Capitol incident, Bannon and other Trump allies showed up at the Willard Hotel; In addition, the right-wing populist spoke with Trump the day before the riots. Bannon hinted in his podcast on January 5, 2021, that he had known in advance that "extreme events" would take place. Bannon once claimed that "the gates of hell will be open tomorrow." [3] A day later, radical Trump supporters stormed Congress, killing five people, a worldwide event that many saw as the biggest shock to American democracy.
Bannon initially argued that his testimony was protected by Trump's claims of executive privilege. But the House Special Committee and the Justice Department argue that such claims are questionable because Trump fired Bannon from the White House in 2017, so Bannon consulted with the former president in a "private capacity" before the Capitol Hill riots on January 6, 2021. The special committee sought to learn more about What Bannon had said before Capitol Hill and the motives behind his actions, but Bannon declined to talk about it. [4]
The fact of the conviction became another turning point in Bannon's turbulent political career. But since Trump's candidacy in 2016, Bannon has actively campaigned for Trump's supporters by spreading far-right ideas and inciting hatred, a dangerous act that has led to multiple clashes (including a right-wing rally in Charlottesville, Virginia), fueled social divisions, and ultimately sparked the Capitol Hill riots of Jan. 6. Looking back on Bannon's political career, he worked to combine right-wing media, presidential politics, and "America First" populism, and helped create the Breitbart News website, which he once called "an alternative right platform." The site, a loose coalition of racists, misogynists and Islamophobias, rose to prominence during Trump's first campaign. These groups, which are "convinced" of a large number of far-right conspiracy theories, have also become the most radical and dangerous presence among Trump supporters in the future. [5]
House special commissioners noted that Bannon had advised Trump to continue his efforts to stay in power after his unsuccessful campaign. These include encouraging Trump to declare victory on Election Night, a move that spreads doubts about the fairness of the vote. In a public audio clip, Bannon told a crowd of voters ahead of the 2020 election that Trump would claim to have won the White House campaign regardless of the actual outcome. Bannon has also publicly hinted that the "theory" that Trump's election results have been stolen has a very strong foundation, but the relevant people have failed to provide strong evidence. [6] In addition to being deeply involved and organizing the Jan. 6 riots, Bannon also tried to use his War Room podcast to help Trump expand his mass base. Bannon said: "The key is to win the (next) election with the right people, supporters of the Maga movement. We will get our people into all levels. Bannon is working to implement plans to "take over the Republican Party through a district committee strategy" and invite potential candidates as guests to his podcast show, which now has a large loyal following of tens of millions of downloads. [7]
Will the conviction storm trigger new political chaos?
Although Bannon was eventually convicted, the uncooperative posture he and his team of lawyers showed in this series of incidents is still worth studying; Bannon's subsequent series of actions also raise doubts about whether he would deliberately use the trial to foment new political chaos.
The House Special Committee summoned Bannon to provide testimony and documents in September 2021, but Bannon refused to cooperate with the committee. He did not testify in court on October 14, 2021, nor did he submit documents in response to the panel's subpoena by October 18. In response, Bannon argued that he was protected by Trump's claimed administrative privileges, even though he had been fired by Trump at the time. Ultimately, the House voted to convict him of contempt of court and transfer him to the Justice Department for prosecution. [8]
On January 22, 2017, local time, in the Washington area of the United States, former US President Trump signed a swearing-in ceremony with Former White House Chief Strategist Steven Bannon.
Bannon had reportedly previously asked to postpone his contempt of Congressional trial, citing the January 6 Hearing of the House Special Committee that received too much publicity. Bannon's attorneys David Schoen, Robert Costello, Evan Corcoran, who requested in late June that the trial start date be moved from July 18 to Oct. 25, stressed that the trial's planned series of hearings in defence could affect jurors' opinions.
Bannon's lawyers said in the filing that "the public impact is not limited to the hearing itself, but also includes media coverage that amplifies the hearing." In Washington, D.C., every major media outlet saw the hearing as headlines. Everyone accused of a crime should be guaranteed a fair trial. In addition, the document alleges that members of the commission made "inflammatory remarks" about Bannon and other former Trump administration officials, and that "their findings of investigation" would be disseminated on television broadcasts on public platforms that could have prevented the jury from making a fair decision. [9] However, the magistrate refused to postpone the trial, while saying that the above concerns could be addressed when the jury was selected. After unsuccessful attempts to postpone the trial, just over a week before the trial was about to begin, Bannon offered to testify before the committee. However, he did not commit to providing the requested documents. Prosecutors opposed the motion, saying it was irrelevant and had nothing to do with his refusal to obey the subpoena at the time.
Matthew Graves, a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said, "Bannon is obligated to appear and provide documents at the request of the House Special Committee." He deliberately refused that obligation, and now the jury has determined that he must bear the consequences. "Throughout the trial, Bannon did not testify in his defence or summon witnesses; Outside the courthouse, the former Trump aid and his lawyer said they planned to file an appeal.
After being convicted, Bannon lashed out at the special committee on Fox News on the evening of July 22, accusing the House committee of conducting a "performance trial." He asked his members to step down and to investigate the staff. "Once Republicans are in power in Congress, a real committee is formed," Bannon said. In addition, Bannon reiterated his loyalty to Trump: "I support Trump and the Constitution, I'm not going to back down an inch, and if I go to jail, it doesn't matter." ”
In fact, this is not the first time Trump's chief strategist and adviser has been charged. Bannon was accused of fraud and money laundering in 2020 in a "We Build a Wall" crowdfunding project to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Prosecutors in the case said Bannon received $1 million in funding from We Build Walls and redirected the money to a separate nonprofit he had already created. Despite Bannon's ouster in 2017, Trump has provided Bannon with shelter. Two weeks after riots at the Capitol, on the last night of his presidency, Trump pardoned Bannon by issuing an amnesty order. [10]
Although Bannon has been convicted, it is clear that the far-right forces in the United States will not give up using this opportunity to incite the anger of far-right voters, with far-right activist Jack Pozobek declaring on Bannon's War Room podcast: "The reason Bannon was tried was because of the effectiveness of the show 'War Room,' the great success of the national populist movement, and Bannon's special status as the architect of the MAGA movement and the victory in the 2016 presidential election." They are trying to keep Bannon away from the 2024 election. This is the regime's pursuit of the opposition. Bannon himself is intent on deepening public distrust of the trial and even the federal courts. During the trial, he repeatedly slammed The Chairman of the Special Committee, Bennie Thompson, saying the 2020 presidential election was manipulated, Biden's victory was not legitimate, and Trump was the real winner. In his view, all this is what drove this trial. [11]
Although Bannon's remarks have not affected the judges or the jury, their remarks will inevitably resonate with far-right groups, causing some groups to question the purpose and legitimacy of the trial, which will also help his team to make subsequent appeals. On the other hand, far-right groups will not pass up such an opportunity to strengthen cohesion until the 2024 general election comes. Under the argument that Bannon was unfairly tried, a new round of action is brewing by the relevant groups.
Citations:
[1]https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB/20220722-%E7%8F%AD%E5%86%9C%E8%A2%AB%E9%99%AA%E5%AE%A1%E5%9B%A2%E8%AE%A4%E5%AE%9A%E7%8A%AF%E6%9C%89%E4%B8%A4%E9%A1%B9%E8%97%90%E8%A7%86%E5%9B%BD%E4%BC%9A%E7%BD%AA%EF%BC%8C%E9%9D%A2%E4%B8%B4%E6%9C%80%E9%AB%98%E4%B8%A4%E5%B9%B4%E7% 9B%91%E7%A6%81
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2022/jul/22/jan-6-hearing-trump-capitol-attack-biden-covid-us-politics-latest
[3] https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/22/politics/steve-bannon-contempt-of-congress-january-6-verdict/index.html
[4] https://www.npr.org/2022/07/23/1113166772/steve-bannon-is-the-first-trump-associate-to-be-convicted-for-jan-6-actions
[5] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/22/us/politics/bannon-trial-contempt-charges.html
[6] https://newrepublic.com/article/163301/steve-bannon-brazil-maga-battleground-bolsonaro
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/03/steve-bannon-donald-trump-michael-flynn-politics
[8] https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1111692082/steve-bannon-goes-on-trial-for-defying-jan-6-panel-subpoena
[9] https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3542097-bannon-requests-trial-delay-over-jan-6-hearing-publicity/
[10] https://www.businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-rise-and-fall-trump-white-house-contempt-congress-2022-7?inline-endstory-related-recommendations=
[11] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-22/bannon-is-ringmaster-in-a-political-circus-on-courthouse-steps
Editor-in-Charge: Han Shaohua
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang