Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon turned himself in to an FBI field office in Washington, D.C. on Monday after he was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress on Friday.
The Department of Justice had announced the two charges on Friday after Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon was seen on video arriving at the FBI office. He was swarmed by reporters shouting questions at him, and refused to speak to any, except to his own camera crew, during which he addressed viewers of his “War Room” podcast.
“We’re taking down the Biden regime,” Bannon said, remarking on polling and Republican efforts in the upcoming elections.
“Remember: signal, not noise. This is all noise,” he added.
Bannon faces a minimum 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail for each contempt count, as well as a fine of between $100 to $1,000.
The charges against Bannon come after the committee voted in late October to hold him in contempt for failing to comply with the subpoenas they issued him on Sept. 23, 2021.
The Democrat-led House committee has been requesting that Trump associates turn over documents and provide testimony about what, if any, role they played in disputing the results of the 2020 election and the crowds of people who entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6 as Congress was certifying the results.
The September 23 subpoenas stated the committee’s belief that Bannon had information relevant to understanding events related to January 6. Bannon served as Chief Strategist and Counselor to then-President Donald Trump before leaving the White House in 2017. He has been a private citizen since departing from the administration in 2017.
Trump has argued to exert executive privilege over some of the documents requested by the committee. A lawyer for Bannon said he would not testify or provide documents until an agreement is reached between the committee and Trump on executive privilege, or a court gives guidance on the situation.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily blocked the National Archives from releasing White House records to the House committee. The issue will again go before the court, with arguments over Trump’s executive privilege claims set to begin on November 30.
On Friday, Bannon said on his podcast, “We’re not complaining about it anymore … We’re taking action and that action is we’re taking over school boards, we’re taking over the Republican Party through the precinct committee strategy. We’re taking over all the elections.”
