Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon exits the Manhattan Federal Court on August 20, 2020 in the Manhattan borough of New York City.
Stephanie Keith | Getty Images
The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol announced Thursday it will move to refer former Trump advisor Steve Bannon for criminal contempt over his refusal comply with a subpoena.
The select committee will convene Tuesday evening to vote on adopting a contempt report, chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a press release.
Bannon left former President Donald Trump’s White House years before hundreds of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, temporarily stopping Congress from confirming President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Yet he remains a dominant figure in pro-Trump political circles and has continued to advocate for the former president.
Bannon is “hiding behind the former President’s insufficient, blanket, and vague statements regarding privileges he has purported to invoke,” Thompson said.
“We reject his position entirely,” he said. “The Select Committee will not tolerate defiance of our subpoenas, so we must move forward with proceedings to refer Mr. Bannon for criminal contempt.”
Spokeswomen for Trump and Bannon did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
The congressional subpoena to Bannon set an Oct. 7 deadline for him to produce a raft of documents to the investigators. But Thompson said last week that Bannon has refused to supply those materials, prompting the committee to consider a criminal referral to hold Bannon in contempt of Congress.
The subpoena also instructed Bannon to appear Thursday for a deposition.
The select committee “will use every tool at its disposal to get the information it seeks, and witnesses who try to stonewall the Select Committee will not succeed,” Thompson said Thursday.
“All witnesses are required to provide the information they possess so the Committee can get to the facts,” he added, noting that many other individuals are complying with his panel’s subpoenas and producing materials within the deadlines.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
