A jury of nine men and five women convicted Bannon, 68, on two counts of contempt of Congress, which each carry a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $1,000, according to the Justice Department.
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The jury returned a verdict after deliberating for less than three hours.
Bannon is expected to be sentenced on October 21,The Washington Postreports.
“We’re taking down the Biden regime,” Bannon told reporters before he surrendered to the FBI days after the indictment, which he said was"all noise."
In the government’s opening argument, U.S. attorney Amanda Vaughn said the case “is about the defendant thumbing his nose at the orderly processes of our government. It is that simple.”
“It wasn’t optional. It wasn’t a request, and it wasn’t an invitation. It was mandatory,” Vaughn said, according to reports. “The defendant decided he was above the law … and that’s why we’re here today.”
Lawyers defending Bannon argued that he didn’t ignore the subpoena but rather that he believed he was engaged in talks with the committee over Trump’s claims of executive privilege as the deadlines passed.
Steve Bannon.Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“You’ll find from the evidence that the date on the subpoena was the subject of ongoing discussions and negotiations,” defense attorney M. Evan Corcoran said,The New York Times reported. “The dates on the subpoena were not fixed; they were flexible.”
Bannon’s defense team also asked jurors to consider political motivations when presented with evidence about the committee’s subpoena.
“I do not intend for this to become a political case, a political circus, a forum for partisan politics,” Judge Nichols said,Politico reported, as he ruled to limit the defense when it comes to questioning witnesses about alleged political biases.
source: people.com
