Jury in Bannon contempt trial expected to be seated Tuesday; opening statements to follow
WASHINGTON – Jury selection in the contempt trial of former White House strategist Steve Bannon is expected to be completed early Tuesday after a full day of questioning in which several prospective panelists expressed little regard for the longtime Trump aide while many reported that they had monitored the House committee’s investigation of the Capitol attack.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols qualified a pool of 22 candidates Monday, from which 12 jurors and two alternates will be seated for trial. Nichols said opening statements in the case would begin immediately after the jury is seated.
An often-tedious process of individual juror examinations revealed stark assessments of the case and the flamboyant defendant accused of defying the special House committee’s demand for testimony and documents in the Jan. 6, 2021 investigation.
One man’s interview ended after one answer.
“I have formed an opinion about the case,” said the man wearing an open-collar yellow shirt. “The opinion is that Bannon is guilty.”
Bannon, who was seated at the defense table, conferred regularly with his attorneys but displayed no visible reaction.
Case breakdown:Steve Bannon heads to contempt trial for defying Jan. 6 committee.
The juror candidates were referred to by number, not by name, to protect their identities.
Another panelist, who noted his past work as an intern in the office of former Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said simply: “I’m not a fan of Steve Bannon.”
two counts of contempt for his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House committee, which has held a series of hearings this summer featuring damning testimony from former Trump administration officials. A guide to the Jan. 6 hearings’ witnesses and testimony
Each count carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a maximum fine of $100,000.
The subpoena was issued last fall, and the committee and full House voted to hold him in contempt. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in November.
during the panel’s Tuesday public hearing, examining the role of extremist groups who answered Trump’s call to gather in Washington.
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After their initial Jan. 5 call, Bannon said on his podcast, “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.
“It’s all converging and now we’re on, as they say, the point of attack,” Bannon said. “Right, the point of attack tomorrow. I’ll tell you this. It’s not gonna happen like you think it’s gonna happen. It’s gonna be quite extraordinarily different. And all I can say is strap in.”
The committee revealed Trump and Bannon briefly spoke over the phone again for six minutes, and the contents of the phone call are unknown.