Trump Ally Steve Bannon Appears In Court

November 15, 2021 9:55 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon has appeared before a judge to face federal contempt charges for defying a subpoena from a House committee investigating January’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Bannon appeared briefly before a federal magistrate judge in Washington on Monday, hours after he surrendered to FBI agents. The 67-year-old was indicted on Friday on two counts of criminal contempt. One of the counts charges him with refusing to appear for a congressional deposition and the other is for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s subpoena. The indictment came as a second expected witness, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, defied a separate subpoena from the committee on Friday.  Prosecutors did not seek to detain Bannon before trial. Under conditions approved by the judge, Bannon agreed to weekly check-ins, to surrender his passport, provide notice of any travel outside the district and seek court approval for travel outside the continental United States.  Each count carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.  He will be arraigned on Thursday.