House Republicans have finally intervened in the contempt of Congress case against former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, which began with subpoenas from the illegitimate and now-defunct House January 6 Select Committee.
Bannon infamously defied subpoenas from the Democrat-controlled committee because to comply would have been a violation of executive privilege — meaning that complying with Congress would have landed him in trouble with the White House, but following the rules of the White House landed him in trouble with Congress. As he was in a no-win situation, Bannon chose to stand by then-President Donald Trump, which was objectively the correct decision, as the January 6 Committee was requesting that he effectively break the law.
Several House Republicans have been trying to help Bannon for some time, with many trying to outright nullify the January 6 Committee’s subpoenas, therefore erasing the contempt of Congress charges entirely.
Those plans have not succeeded yet, however, the Republican-controlled House has filed an Amicus Curiae brief in Bannon’s case — arguing that the January 6 Committee had repeatedly failed to adhere to House rules, thus the committee’s entire work was invalid.
The brief filed by the House General Counsel affirms the fact that the committee was improperly constituted and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) nor committee leadership properly adhered to the rules laid out in House Resolution 503, which created the committee.
Speaker Mike Johnson Follows Through on Promise as Congress Files Amicus Brief in Bannon Case@JustTheNews’ @jsolomonReports joins Special Report and shares that the House General Counsel filed an Amicus Curiae brief in Steve Bannon’s case on July 22nd, with the brief arguing… pic.twitter.com/ZhYIc0XXRb
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 31, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed to intervene in the case back in June, and finally fulfilled that promise just as Bannon, who has declared himself a “political prisoner,” was appealing his case.
“We’re working on filing an amicus brief with his appellate work there in his case because the January 6 committee was, we think, wrongfully constituted,” the House Speaker said in June. “We think the work was tainted. We think that they may have very well covered up evidence and maybe even more nefarious activities.”
The resolution that created the January 6 Committee required Pelosi to appoint 13 members to the committee, five of whom were required to be Republicans. Of course, Pelosi ignored those rules and only appointed nine members — none of which were actual Republicans, as she specifically chose then-Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY). Both of these “Republicans” consistently sided with the Democrats on numerous occasions and exhibited serious hatred of the party’s leader, Donald Trump. Cheney was ousted by a massive margin in her next primary election, while Kinzinger left office after being gerrymandered out of a district, though he almost certainly would have lost his primary because of his actions.
The House has also argued that the January 6 Committee was illegitimate because of its actions during the supposed “investigation” into the Capitol protests, as the committee erased evidence that contradicted its narrative.
The committee was also required to consult with its minority party ranking member before issuing a subpoena, but never appointed a ranking member as required by House rules. Pelosi and her allies claimed that Cheney was effectively the ranking member, but her actual position was Vice Chair, which is a separate role according to House rules.
