The Supreme Court has vacated contempt-of-Congress charges against former President Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, erasing his 2022 conviction for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The high court issued its ruling on Monday (April 6), sending the case back to a lower court for formal dismissal without providing an explanation or noting any dissent from the justices.
Bannon, who served as President Donald Trump’s chief White House strategist, was found guilty by a federal jury on two counts of contempt of Congress after he failed to appear for a deposition and refused to provide documents requested by the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack. He was sentenced to four months in prison and fined $6,500, serving his sentence in 2024 after a lengthy appeals process.
The Justice Department, in February, moved to dismiss the charges, stating that doing so was “in the interests of justice.” In its brief order, the Supreme Court acknowledged the department’s decision and directed the case be sent back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where a judge is expected to formally dismiss it.
During his appeal, Bannon argued that he relied on his attorney’s advice that President Trump’s executive privilege protected his refusal to comply with the subpoena. His lawyer, Michael Buschbacher, told the high court, “The government acknowledges that Petitioner’s criminal prosecution was unjust.”
Bannon is the second high-profile Trump adviser to serve prison time for contempt of Congress in connection to the inquiry. The Justice Department has also dropped its defense in a similar case against Peter Navarro, whose appeal is still ongoing.
With the Supreme Court’s order, Bannon’s conviction is expected to be erased from the record once the lower court enters its dismissal.
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