The Supreme Court has given the green light for the Department of Justice to dismiss the case against Steve Bannon, allowing the Trump administration to wipe the slate clean after Bannon's 2022 conviction for defying a Congressional subpoena related to the January 6 Capitol riot. The high court's decision comes on the heels of a February move by federal prosecutors to drop the indictment, which was originally brought during President Joe Biden's administration.
Bannon's lawyers, including Michael Buschbacher, have been pushing for the conviction to be overturned, with Buschbacher stating that the case should never have been brought in the first place. In 2022, a federal jury found Bannon guilty of refusing to comply with the subpoena, which sought testimony and documents related to the House investigation into the January 6 attack. Bannon went on to serve a four-month prison sentence in 2024.
Despite the Supreme Court's decision, it's worth noting that Bannon has already completed his sentence, so the ruling may not have significant practical consequences. However, Bannon has continued to challenge the conviction, arguing that he relied on legal advice not to respond to the subpoena until issues surrounding Donald Trump's claims of executive privilege were resolved. Bannon's lawyers maintained that he should have been allowed to present a defense based on reliance on counsel and executive privilege, but was prevented from doing so at trial.
Prosecutors during the Biden administration took a firm stance that Bannon showed complete noncompliance with the subpoena, but the Justice Department later reversed
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