London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 12, 2026

A Federal Grand Jury Indicted Steve Bannon For Contempt Of Congress

A Federal Grand Jury Indicted Steve Bannon For Contempt Of Congress

The close Trump adviser had ignored a subpoena as part of the House’s investigation into Jan. 6.

Steve Bannon, the longtime close adviser to former president Donald Trump, was indicted Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to provide documents and testimony to the special committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Each misdemeanor count carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a minimum term of 30 days behind bars. A date hasn’t been set yet for Bannon’s first court appearance.

The indictment comes just over three weeks after the House voted to hold Bannon in criminal contempt and refer the case over to the Justice Department to decide whether to take the matter to a grand jury. Earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland had been asked about the status of the case and demurred, only saying generally that officials were following the normal review process.

Bannon had refused to comply with a congressional subpoena issued by the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He was scheduled to appear before the panel, but instead his lawyers sent a letter claiming Bannon was “exercising executive privilege” per the instruction of Trump’s lawyer. Trump himself has attempted to use executive privilege to block records from his administration being released to the panel, which is now the subject of a court fight.

Bannon was the first former Trump aide to defy the panel’s request based on Trump’s claim of executive privilege. His indictment raises the stakes for other former aides who defy the committee at Trump’s direction. Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, did not appear for a House panel deposition scheduled for Friday.

“Mr. Meadows’s actions today — choosing to defy the law — will force the Select Committee to consider pursuing contempt or other proceedings to enforce the subpoena,” Reps. Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, cochairs of the committee, wrote in a statement.

The indictment was signed by the newly confirmed US attorney in Washington, Matthew Graves, marking one of his first politically significant actions as the head of the office that’s taken the lead this year in prosecuting hundreds of cases related to the Capitol riot.

Trump and Bannon had something of a hot and cold relationship during Trump’s time in the White House. They had a falling out in 2018 over insults Bannon was quoted as saying about Trump’s family in Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury, but reportedly had reconciled by the time Trump left office, after Bannon backed his voter fraud lies on his own popular podcast. Bannon at the time was facing federal criminal charges on allegations that he committed fraud as part of a “We Build the Wall” fundraising effort; Trump pardoned him hours before Biden was sworn in on Jan. 20.

Bannon did not respond to a request for comment about the indictment.

Contempt of Congress prosecutions are extremely rare. A Congressional Research Service report from 2017 noted that previous attorneys general have directed the US attorney in Washington to not prosecute executive branch officials who were acting at the direction of a president who asserted executive privilege. Trump is not, however, president anymore, and has so far lost in court trying to argue that he should be able to claim that privilege to block document demands by the committee even though Biden has refused to support it.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Government Creates Emergency Support Scheme for Financially Struggling Universities
United Kingdom Replaces Traditional Farm Subsidies With Payments Linked to Environmental Performance
National Grid Reports First Week of Electricity Generation Without Fossil Fuels
United Kingdom Financial Regulator Introduces Tougher Capital Rules for Cryptocurrency Exchanges
Belfast Harbour Expands Operations to Attract Investment Through United Kingdom and European Union Market Access
Scottish Government Threatens Legal Challenge Over Westminster Cuts to North Sea Transition Funding
United Kingdom Accelerates Trans-Pennine High-Speed Rail Project Linking Northern Cities
United Kingdom Secures Ten Billion Pound Investment for Cambridge Quantum Computing Campus
Port Talbot Steelworks Wins Support for Green Hydrogen Transition and Protection of Industrial Jobs
United Kingdom Sends Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group to Indo-Pacific as Regional Security Focus Expands
National Health Service Expands Artificial Intelligence Diagnostics Across England to Reduce Screening Backlogs
United Kingdom Launches Fifty Billion Pound Infrastructure Fund to Accelerate Housing and Construction
UK Medical Chiefs Update Health Guidance to Promote Everyday Physical Activity
Office of Communications Keeps Wikipedia Under Review Under UK Online Safety Rules
UK Defence Ministry Expands Deep-Strike Capability Through Precision Missile Programme
Russell Group Universities Warn Funding Cuts Could Damage NHS Workforce Training
UK Parliament Calls for National Emergency Broadcast as Heatwave Conditions Intensify
UK and Netherlands Strengthen Naval Cooperation With New Amphibious Defence Partnership
UK Defence Ministry Joins International Missile Programme With One Hundred and Ninety Million Pound Investment
Bank of England Warns Middle East Conflict and AI Risks Could Pressure UK Economy
UK Government Introduces New Rules to Limit Foreign Influence in Political Donations
UK and France Prepare Naval Mission to Protect Shipping Through Strait of Hormuz
United States Pressures UK to Increase Defence Spending at NATO Summit
Bank of England Warns Artificial Intelligence Investment Boom Could Create Financial Stability Risks
Bank of England Begins Direct Oversight of Critical Technology Providers Supporting UK Finance
Andy Burnham Set to Become UK Prime Minister After Labour Leadership Race Clears Path to Downing Street
Scottish Fishing Industry Calls for Emergency Support Amid Rising Costs
UK Supports Stronger European Response to Russian Actions in Ukraine
Devon and Cornwall Police Release Suspect in Ann Widdecombe Murder Investigation
Scottish MPs Demand More Government Support for Fishing Industry
UK Aviation Sector Faces New Rules as Parliament Reviews Passenger Protection Reforms
King’s College London Disciplines Students Over Pro-Palestine Campus Protests
Ministry of Defence Expands Military Capabilities Through New Precision Strike Investment
United Kingdom Condemns Russian Treatment of Ukrainian Children at International Security Forum
House of Lords Reviews Civil Aviation Bill to Strengthen Passenger Rights and UK Aviation Competitiveness
UK Aerospace and Defence Industries Contribute Nearly Forty-Seven Billion Pounds to Economy
UK Government Advances Consultation on Possible Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen
United Kingdom Ratifies Global High Seas Treaty to Protect Marine Biodiversity
United Kingdom Joins United States Precision Strike Missile Programme With One Hundred Ninety Million Pound Investment
UK Senior NHS Doctors Vote for Further Strike Action Over Pay and Contract Disputes
BBC Leadership Resigns After Donald Trump Launches Ten Billion Dollar Defamation Lawsuit
UK Fiscal Watchdog Warns Andy Burnham Government Faces One Hundred Billion Pound Budget Challenge
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Following Massive Investor Demand: SK Hynix Raises 26.5 Billion Dollars on Nasdaq
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
After Four Years, and Under a Heavy Veil of Secrecy: King Charles Meets His Grandchildren, Harry and Meghan's Children
Cross-Party MPs Call for National Climate Emergency Broadcast
Bayeux Tapestry Arrives in the United Kingdom for Landmark Exhibition
United Kingdom Launches Modern Slavery Prevention Programme in Vietnam
×