Steve Bannon, a former top adviser to President Trump, surrendered to the FBI on Monday on two criminal contempt charges that were leveled against him for refusing to cooperate with the select committee probing the January 6 Capitol riot.
On Monday morning, Bannon pulled up to the FBI Washington, D.C. branch, greeting dozens of members of the press looking for comment. “We’re taking down the Biden regime,” he said before walking inside.
Bannon was charged with two counts of contempt after he failed to comply with a subpoena to appear for a deposition and submit requested documents related to the events preceding the mob’s storming of the Capitol. Both counts carry a minimum sentence of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, the Department of Justice confirmed.
The Monday development comes after Bannon was indicted by grand jury for contempt of Congress last week.
Before he turned himself in Monday, Bannon went on air for an episode of his podcast WarRoom, imploring followers to continue the fight against the Biden administration.
“I don’t want anybody to take their eye off the ball from what we do every day, OK,” he said. “I want you guys to stay focused on message.”
When the January 6 committee demanded files and testimony from Bannon in October, his lawyer claimed executive privilege extended to his client by Trump, even though others in the field disputed that the protection applied once the president has left office.
The attorney told the committee that “the executive privileges belong to President Trump,” despite his being a private citizen. President Biden has refused to grant executive privilege to actors under investigation for the January 6 incident.
