After a series of attempts by the former White House general to delay the trial, attorneys for the prosecution and defense made their opening statements, with federal prosecutors accusing Bannon of “thumbing his nose” at the administration by refusing to appear before it. investigation of January 6. “It was not optional. It was not a request and it was not an invitation. It was mandatory,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Vaughan told jurors about the subpoena issued to Bannon by a congressional committee last year. “The defendant’s failure to comply was willful. The
