Bannon is accused of violating subpoena requirements by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. The committee sought testimony and documents from him, particularly about his conversations with President Donald Trump on January 5 and 6, 2021. Bannon refused, claiming executive privilege. But charging Bannon makes it harder, not easier, to get his testimony. As a criminal defendant, he has the right to refuse to answer questions and has a legal strategy for trial and possible appeals that may challenge congressional testimony. When Bannon offered to speak to the committee earlier this month, prosecutors said it didn’t matter what Bannon claims he can do now. What mattered is that when faced with a congressional subpoena and a deadline, he gave them nothing. In that sense, the trial can serve as a warning and a warning — not to Bannon, but to anyone else who would flatly refuse to cooperate with the January 6 committee or any other part of Congress.
