A U.S. judge ordered the release of Steve Bannon, a former adviser and ally of former President Donald Trump, but ordered the seizure of his passport to prevent him from fleeing the country.
Steve Bannon, 67, turned up Monday at the FBI after being charged Friday with contempt of court for refusing to appear to testify before the Investigative Committee of the Capitol Hill attack and another for refusing to provide documents following a subpoena. …
On January 6, hundreds of protesters in support of the former Republican president demanded that police invade Capitol Hill and thwart confirmation of Joe Biden’s election after Trump’s repeated baseless allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
Leaving the courtroom in Washington, the former Trump aide spoke defiantly, raising a finger and stating that “this time they contacted the wrong person“.
Bannon accused Democrat US President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of violating his free speech.
“Now let’s go on the attack, you’ll see“, it is emphasized repeatedly”.Get ready“he echoed again, using Trump’s controversial campaign line, which the former president addressed the far-right Proud Boys when he said,” Get ready. “
When asked by journalists about the meaning of veiled threats, Bannon’s lawyer explained that he would be “on the offensive” because he would “affirmatively” defend his rights in court.
The head of the campaign that brought Donald Trump victory in 2016 had a similar tone to the media when he contacted the FBI in Washington earlier that day. Before joining him, Bannon stated that his goal was “to overthrow the Biden regime.”
After taking himself to court, Steve Bannon spent several hours in federal custody and was brought before Columbia District Court Judge Robin Meriwether.
During the hearing, the prosecution did not require a preventive detention of the former Trump adviser, and the judge ordered his release pending trial, applying normal conditions in such cases, including the seizure of his passport to prevent his escape. from the country.
Bannon will also need to notify authorities of any travel he makes within the United States, and if he intends to travel overseas, he will first need to get a judge’s permission to return his passport.
The next trial is scheduled for Thursday in a virtual format at the request of Steve Bannon’s attorneys and will be held before DC Judge Carl J. Nichols, appointed during the Trump presidency.
Each of the charges against Bannon carries a penalty ranging from 30 days to one year in prison, as well as a fine of one thousand to one hundred thousand dollars. [800 euros e 87 mil euros]…
On October 22, the House of Representatives said that Steve Bannon did not respect Congress for challenging the Commission’s summons to investigate the Capitol Hill attack.
A commission of inquiry is seeking to determine the role of the former Republican president, his advisers and loved ones in preparing the invasion of Capitol Hill, which killed five people.
Timing is of the essence for this Democratic-controlled group that is threatened with dissolution if Republicans win the November 2022 legislature.
The commission, which has heard more than 150 witnesses, has issued new subpoenas to elements close to Trump, such as former White House press secretary Kayleigh Makinani or former adviser Stephen Miller.
Former Trump chief of staff, Mark Meadows, also declined to issue statements to the committee on Thursday after temporarily suspending until November 30 by a judge from the release of data requested by the commission when analyzing the request made by the former president.
The recordings include documents from Donald Trump’s closest aides and White House agendas describing his activities, trips, meetings, or phone calls.
The Commission of Inquiry responded with a statement indicating that Joe Biden had already authorized the release of the documents and that the former Trump aide should testify and warn Mark Meadows that he could be accused of contempt by Congress.
