U.S. prosecutors set to urge conviction of Steve Bannon, ex-Trump adviser
Global News
The prosecution and defence are expected to deliver closing arguments to the 12-member jury in federal court, with deliberations expected to begin afterward.
Federal prosecutors are due to make their final pitch to jurors on Friday to convict Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s former presidential adviser, on charges of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena by the committee investigating last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The prosecution and defence are expected to deliver closing arguments to the 12-member jury in federal court, with deliberations expected to begin afterward. The defence rested its case on Thursday without calling any witnesses after the prosecution rested on Wednesday, having called two witnesses over two days.
Bannon, 68, has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts after rebuffing the House of Representative select committee’s subpoena requesting testimony and documents as part of its inquiry into the Jan. 6, 2021, rampage by Trump supporters trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Prosecutors said they expect their arguments to last about 30 minutes, plus 15 for rebuttal. The defence said it plans to take roughly the same amount of time to make its arguments.
The defence made motions to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols asking him to acquit Bannon, arguing the prosecution failed to prove its case, or dismiss the charges because his lawyers were blocked from calling as witnesses lawmakers who are members of the committee. Such motions seeking acquittals and dismissals at the end of a trial are common and rarely granted.
David Schoen, one of Bannon’s attorneys, told Nichols that Bannon had wanted to testify at the trial, but opted not to do so due to the limits the judge placed on the kinds of arguments the defendant could make.
Bannon was barred from arguing that he believed his communications with Trump were subject to a legal doctrine called executive privilege that can keep certain presidential communications confidential. The judge also prohibited Bannon from arguing that he relied on legal advice from an attorney in refusing to comply.
Bannon’s primary defence in the trial was that he believed the subpoena’s deadline dates were flexible and subject to negotiation between his attorney and the committee.
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