Steve Bonan, who is close to Donald Trump, has been charged with refusing to testify

Steve Bannon, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was accused of “blocking” congressional hearing privileges on Friday, November 12th. The 67-year-old former adviser is being prosecuted for refusing to testify and submit documents to a special committee of the House of Representatives investigating the role of the former US president in the January 6 attack on his supporters in the Capitol.

This charge “Send a clear message to anyone who thinks they can ignore the Commission or try to obstruct our investigation: no one is above the law.”, Benny Thompson, the Democratic leader of the Commission of Inquiry, responded. Despite his summons in mid-October, Steve Bannon did not appear before elected officials, demanding the president’s right to keep certain documents and discussions secret. According to the commission, this protection does not apply because Donald Trump is no longer president, and has not officially confirmed this privilege of administration.

The commission of inquiry said Steve Bannon was not in any official position on January 6, but had discussed the protest with the president in the days before. His testimony is considered essential because it would help to understand what Donald Trump was doing before and after the attack. “He’s part of the puzzle”, Adam Kingsinger, one of the two elected Republican members of this commission with a democratic majority, explained. “His comments are from the day before January 6” Who seems to be proving that “He knew what was going to happen, Added selectors, We want to know what he knows. “. On January 5, Steve Bannon mentioned in a podcast “Everything comes together and it’s time to attack”.

He was also part of a “crisis unit” led by advisers to the former president from a luxury Washington hotel before and after the attack on Congress headquarters. He faces up to 30 days to a year in prison for each charge and will be tried in federal court. But the legal battle can take months or years, undermining the investigation.