Steve Bannon’s criminal contempt of Congress trial to begin

Former Trump adviser refused to comply with Capitol attack subpoena for documents and testimony related to January 6

A federal criminal trial got under way on Monday, with the start of jury selection, to determine whether Steve Bannon, the influential former adviser to Donald Trump, broke the law by refusing to comply with a subpoena for documents and testimony by the panel investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

Last fall, the congressional committee investigating the deadly Capitol riots subpoenaed Bannon to sit for a deposition and to provide a wide range of documents related to the events of January 6. Bannon refused to comply. The committee cited him for contempt and referred him to the US justice department for prosecution in October of last year.