Steve Bannon appears in court as contempt-of-Congress trial begins

Far-right Trump ally seeks to claim in federal court that he did not willfully fail to comply with subpoena

With jury selection nearly complete, opening arguments are expected to take place on Tuesday in the federal trial against Steve Bannon, the top former Trump strategist charged with contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.

Bannon appeared in federal court on Monday as his trial formally opened in Washington. The far-right provocateur - one of the principal architects of Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election - is attempting to argue that he did not willfully fail to comply with the subpoena, which sought documents and testimony.