First modification:
This Thursday, the plenary session of the Lower House, with a Democratic majority, declared Steve Bannon, the former White House adviser and ally of former President Donald Trump, in contempt for refusing to appear before the committee that investigates the assault on the Capitol of the past 6 January 2021, Bannon could face criminal prosecution.
This Thursday, the plenary session of the Lower House, led by the Democrats, voted in favor of declaring Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress with 229 votes in favor – nine of them from Republicans – and 202 against. This comes after the investigation committee of the House of Representatives unanimously approved the declaration of contempt of Steven Bannon last Tuesday, with the votes of the two Republican congressmen who make up this body, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.
Congressional contempt will now go to the US Department of Justice in Washington, where Attorney General Merrick Garland will make the final decision on whether to prosecute and present Bannon’s case to a grand jury on possible criminal charges.
In this way, Bannon could face a fine of 100,000 dollars and a sentence of up to one year in prison, although it is rare that he ends up in jail in this type of process.
Steve Bannon could face criminal prosecution for refusing to cooperate with justice
Bannon refused to comply with the subpoenas of the Investigative Committee of January 6 that seeks documents and his testimony, excused behind a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump to prevent certain documents related to the events that occurred from coming to light. Under the legal doctrine of executive privilege, Bannon has asked the committee to postpone his appearance until Justice fails, something the committee rejected.
The investigative committee argued that Steve Bannon had made statements suggesting that he knew in advance about the “extreme events” that would occur on January 6, in which thousands of Trump supporters flocked to Capitol Hill after he urged them in a speech to protest. for his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in November 2020. On that day, Congress was scheduled to ratify Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
The investigative committee argued that Steve Bannon had made statements suggesting that he knew in advance about the “extreme events” that would occur on January 6, in which thousands of Trump supporters flocked to Capitol Hill after he urged them in a speech to protest. for his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in November 2020. On that day, Congress was scheduled to ratify Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
Donald Trump continues to denounce electoral fraud
Former President Donald Trump continues to denounce fraud in the November 2020 elections, without providing evidence. Republicans say the measure against Bannon is part of a politicized investigation.
Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who leads the Republican opposition, called the investigation unconstitutional on his Twitter account.
The left wing media and the Democrats might not like what I said today, but I stand by it 100% & I’ll say it again:
The Jan 6 select committee is engaged in an UNCONSTITUTIONAL political investigation.
A SHAM investigation.
Conducted by a SHAM committee.
I won’t back down!
– Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) October 21, 2021
Democrats are pressuring Justice to take up the case, arguing that the country’s democracy is at stake. On the other hand, if the Justice Department decides to prosecute Steve Bannon, the case could take years to develop, which could exceed the 2022 election, when Republicans could gain control of the House and end the investigation.
There is still great uncertainty as to whether the Justice Department will continue with the charges, despite demands from Democrats for legal action to be taken over the Bannon cover-up.
It is a decision that will determine not only the effectiveness of the House investigation, but also the strength of the power of Congress to call witnesses and demand the information to conclude with the events of the assault on the Capitol, in which five people and 140 were killed. police officers were injured.
AP, EFE and Reuters
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