Steve Bannon, a close ally of Donald Trump, surrendered to police Monday morning in Washington after being charged with “obstructing the investigative powers of Congress” over the attack on Capitol Hill on January 6.
The 67-year-old former adviser is being prosecuted for refusing to testify and submit documents to the House of Representatives special committee which is investigating the role of the former Republican president in the assault on his supporters.
“We are fighting the Biden regime every day,” he told reporters as he arrived in front of the FBI premises in Washington.
“I want you to stay focused on the message,” he added to the address of supporters of the former president. “This is all noise. “
He should be presented to a federal judge during the day. He faces between 30 days and one year in prison for each count.
Despite his summons in mid-October, Steve Bannon did not appear before elected officials invoking the right of presidents to keep certain documents and discussions confidential.
A discreet but very influential advisor, he had played a crucial role in the election of Donald Trump by giving a decidedly populist turn to the Republican billionaire’s campaign in 2016, before being pushed to exit the following year.
He did not hold any official function on January 6 but appears to have discussed the protest with the president in the previous days, according to the commission of inquiry.
“A clear message”
The commission, which has already heard from more than 150 witnesses, launched new summonses last week against relatives of the Republican billionaire, including his former White House spokesman Kayleigh McEnany or his adviser Stephen Miller.
The indictment of Mr. Bannon is according to the commission “a clear message” on the risks incurred for all those who refuse to cooperate with the elected officials.
Another close to Mr. Trump, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, also snubbed a summons to appear before the commission on Friday.
On January 6, thousands of Donald Trump supporters gathered in Washington as Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory.
The former real estate mogul had addressed the crowd, hammering, baselessly, that the election had been “stolen” from him. Several hundred demonstrators then launched an assault on the temple of American democracy, sowing chaos and violence even in the hemicycle.