Steve Bannon’s lawyers chose not to call defense witnesses, submit evidence or let the jury hear directly from the longtime Donald Trump adviser in his contempt of Congress trial.
It was a gamble that didn’t pay off.
A Washington jury deliberated only a few hours — having lunch during that time — before finding Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt for defying the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoenas seeking documents and testimony. His meager defense didn’t match the build up. The right-wing radio talk show host had vowed on a podcast in the run-up to his trial in Washington “we’re going medieval on these people.”
