Former White House official Steve Bannon's appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction was denied on Friday. This decision means that Bannon will have to serve jail time for ignoring a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
In a 20-page opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stated that granting Bannon's appeal would 'hamstring Congress’s investigatory authority.' Bannon had claimed that he acted on the advice of his legal team and did not intend to break the law. However, the court ruled that the 'advice of counsel' defense is not a valid defense.
