WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, a longtime adviser to Donald Trump, failed once more to persuade a judge to delay his criminal contempt trial over refusing to cooperate with the congressional committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols for the second time this week shot down Bannon’s request to push off his trial by three months. His defense argued that publicity around the Jan. 6, 2021, riot would taint a jury pool. Nichols, in federal court in Washington, said during the pretrial conference that he still believed any bias could be found out during the jury questioning process.
The decision comes days after Nichols rejected Bannon’s original request for a delay and after an about-face offer to testify before the committee. His attorneys made another attempt by citing other developments that could prejudice a jury pool. They cited a CNN program about Bannon that would be airing on the eve of the trial as well as the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee’s mention of him during Tuesday’s televised hearing.
In November, Bannon was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee seeking testimony and documents. The misdemeanor charges each carry a maximum one-year sentence in prison and fines. His trial starts Monday.
