Steve Bannon speaks at the “Symposium at the Wall: Cartels, Trafficking and Asylum” near a privately built border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, constructed by the WeBuildTheWall organization on American Eagle Brick Co. property on Saturday, July 27, 2019. Sunland Park 12 Steve Bannon speaks at the Symposium at the Wall: Cartels, Trafficking and Asylum near a privately built border wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico, constructed by the WeBuildTheWall organization on American Eagle Brick Co. property on Saturday, July 27, 2019.
Syndication: LasCruces
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is voting on whether to hold longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena from a committee investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
That committee has vowed to move swiftly and forcefully to punish anyone who won’t cooperate with the probe. But it’s likely up to the Justice Department, and the courts, to determine what happens next.
If the House vote succeeds, as is expected, there’s still considerable uncertainty about whether the Justice Department will prosecute Bannon. That’s despite Democratic demands for action.
Former President Trump is suing the House select committee and the National Archives, to try and stop documents related to the riot from being turned over to the panel.
Trump had urged former officials in his administration not to comply with subpoenas from the House panel, citing executive privilege. A president can keep private certain documents or discussions with advisers about official duties, but that power applies only to the current sitting president.
