[Epoch Times November 13, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Lin Yan comprehensive report) The U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday (November 12) that the federal grand jury had challenged the former White House chief strategist and former President Trump (special report). LP’s consultant Steve Bannon filed a lawsuit, accusing him of two counts of contempt of Congress.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Bannon refused to provide documents to the House Investigation Subcommittee on the January 6 congressional violence and refused to testify in court. He may face every charge, 30 days to 1 year in prison and 100 to 100 A fine of $1,000.
The Democratic Party-controlled investigation committee summoned Bannon for documents and testimony in early October. Attorney Bannon stated that according to the instructions of former President Trump (Trump), the documents and testimony sought by the committee are protected by administrative privileges, so he refused to cooperate with the investigation. .
The committee unanimously passed a report on October 19 accusing Bannon of “contempt of Congress.” The Congress then passed the two charges against Bannon on a partisan line and submitted it to the Ministry of Justice on October 21 for contempt of court.
The U.S. federal grand jury filed a contempt of Congress against Bannon on November 12.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release issued by the Department of Justice: “From the first day I took office, I promised to employees of the Department of Justice that we would work together to show the American people that justice The Ministry upholds the rule of law, follows facts and laws, and pursues equality and justice under the law. Today’s allegations reflect the Ministry of Justice’s firm commitment to these principles.”
According to the Congressional Research Service (Congressional Research Service) records, it is not common for prosecutors to accuse someone of contempt of Congress. A settlement is usually reached through negotiation. At the same time, there are very few cases of final imprisonment.
The last contempt of court case was in 1983. The Ministry of Justice sued an Environmental Protection Agency official who was eventually found not guilty in the trial.
The Joe Biden government denied administrative privileges to documents and witnesses related to the January 6 incident. Biden once said that the Justice Department should prosecute Bannon and others, but then he admitted that he shouldn’t say that.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said to Biden’s comments on October 15 that they “will make their own independent decisions based solely on facts and the law in all prosecutions.”
So far, the House of Representatives investigation committee on January 6 has asked a dozen former Trump administration officials and related personnel-including former adviser Stephen Miller (Stephen Miller), former national security adviser Michael Flynn (Michael Flynn) and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany (Kayleigh McEnany)-issued a subpoena asking for testimony or documents.
So far, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows (Mark Meadows) confirmed on Thursday (11th) that he will refuse the subpoena and will not testify before the House committee panel. He also received a subpoena.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei
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