London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Dec 04, 2025

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
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
Macron Says Washington Pressuring EU to Delay Enforcement of Digital-Regulation Probes Against Meta, TikTok and X
UK’s DragonFire Laser Downs High-Speed Drones as £316m Deal Speeds Naval Deployment
UK Chancellor Rejects Claims She Misled Public on Fiscal Outlook Ahead of Budget
Starmer Defends Autumn Budget as Finance Chief Faces Accusations of Misleading Public Finances
EU Firms Struggle with 3,000-Hour Paperwork Load — While Automakers Fear De Facto 2030 Petrol Car Ban
White House launches ‘Hall of Shame’ site to publicly condemn media outlets for alleged bias
UK Budget’s New EV Mileage Tax Undercuts Case for Plug-In Hybrids
UK Government Launches National Inquiry into ‘Grooming Gangs’ After US Warning and Rising Public Outcry
Taylor Swift Extends U.K. Chart Reign as ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ Hits Six Weeks at No. 1
250 Still Missing in the Massive Fire, 94 Killed. One Day After the Disaster: Survivor Rescued on the 16th Floor
Trump: National Guard Soldier Who Was Shot in Washington Has Died; Second Soldier Fighting for His Life
UK Chancellor Reeves Defends Tax Rises as Essential to Reduce Child Poverty and Stabilise Public Finances
No Evidence Found for Claim That UK Schools Are Shifting to Teaching American English
European Powers Urge Israel to Halt West Bank Settler Violence Amid Surge in Attacks
"I Would Have Given Her a Kidney": She Lent Bezos’s Ex-Wife $1,000 — and Received Millions in Return
European States Approve First-ever Military-Grade Surveillance Network via ESA
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
×