WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon “refused to follow the rules” in defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee, a prosecutor said during opening statements in his contempt of Congress trial. But the defense alleged the referral for charges was political.
“This case is about the defendant thumbing his nose at the orderly processes of our government,” Justice Department prosecutor Amanda Vaughn told a jury in a Washington courtroom Tuesday. “Ours is a nation of laws, and our system doesn’t work when people think they are above them.”
Defense attorney Evan Corcoran countered that Bannon never ignored the subpoena, its return date was the subject of ongoing negotiation and suggested that politics was involved in the contempt referral. The evidence would make “crystal clear” that nobody expected him to appear for testimony on the stated date, said Corcoran.
