WASHINGTON — Longtime Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon asked a federal judge to exclude all evidence relating to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol from his criminal contempt trial.
Bannon was indicted in November on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee seeking his testimony and production of documents. In a Friday filing, Bannon argued that the evidence should be excluded in part because it will prejudice a jury, in light of the media attention given to the committee hearings.
In a separate filing, the government asked the judge to prevent Bannon from presenting arguments that would “politicize” the case, pointing to his past claims that he has been targeted for political reasons. For example, prosecutors said Bannon’s defense team should be prevented from questioning witnesses, including those on the select committee, about their politics.
