Steve Bannon hit out against the “misdemeanor from hell” as authorities released him Monday, with prosecutors not seeking to detain him prior to trial.
Bannon will be arraigned next Thursday. He was given strict limits on travel outside of Washington, D.C, and is required to check in frequently with authorities.
Standing before members of the press after his first court hearing, Bannon rejected the indictment, arguing President Joe Biden ordered Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute him.
STEVE BANNON SURRENDERS TO AUTHORITIES
“If the administrative state wants to take me on, bring it,” he said. “We’re gonna go on offense.”
Bannon warned that Biden and the Democrats should ask Hillary Clinton what happens when one goes against him and Donald Trump.
As he faced protesters carrying signs accusing him of aiding an insurrection, Bannon argued the trial is part of his effort to defend everyone’s rights.
“You see these signs right here talking about insurrection and all that. That’s what this country is all about. Freedom of speech. They have their opinion, I have mine,” Bannon said.
Bannon’s lawyer, David Schoen, told reporters the committee was “a scam from the beginning.” He said the committee is comprised of people who had made prejudgments publicly, meaning the outcome has already been determined.
“This is not an investigative committee,” he said.
Bannon surrendered to the FBI Monday morning after a federal grand jury indicted him Friday for failing to comply with a subpoena.
His charges include one count related to his failure to appear for a deposition and another count for failing to present relevant documents to the committee. The charges each include a minimum of 30 days in prison and a maximum of a full year, according to the Justice Department.
Trump, who pardoned Bannon for fraud charges during his final hours in office, asserted executive privilege over communications he had with his staff around the time of the Jan. 6 riots, but the Biden administration waived executive privilege last month. That fight is still playing out in court, but Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson dismissed the notion that executive privilege shields key witnesses from complying with the committee’s subpoenas.
Unlike Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who also recently failed to comply with the committee, Bannon was not part of the Trump administration at the time of the riot. Still, the committee is interested in connections he may have had to the riot due to his public statements and his reported participation in a “war room” at the Willard hotel in Washington, D.C., around that time.
“All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Just understand this,” Bannon said the day before the riots. “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. It’s gonna be moving. It’s gonna be quick.”
Steve Bannon addresses the issue of his name trending on Twitter for saying, “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Just understand this. All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. It’s gonna be moving. It’s gonna be quick.” (Jan 5) pic.twitter.com/v0wySN27kM
— PatriotTakes ?? (@patriottakes) July 29, 2021
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Bannon has defended his “hell” comment, saying it was in reference to then-Vice President Mike Pence rejecting the 2020 election results as he presided over the certification process in Congress on Jan. 6.
Bannon’s case has been assigned to Trump-appointed District Judge Carl Nichols.
