US January 6 Committee Recommends Charging Bannon Over Refusal To Cooperate In Probe

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2021) The US House Select Committee investigating the Capitol Hill unrest has recommended that Steve Bannon, an ally of former US President Donald Trump, be referred to the Department of Justice for criminal contempt charges over his refusal to cooperate with the committee probe.

Last week, Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena, that legally obliges him to testify before the panel and claimed the executive privilege rule in his defense. On Monday, the Committee sent a private letter to Bannon's lawyer saying that it found his arguments not to cooperate untenable and threatened legal consequences.

"Resolved, That Stephen K. Bannon shall be found to be in contempt of Congress for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena," the resolution read.

Trump's former adviser should be referred to the US Attorney for the District of Columbia for relevant prosecution, it added.

Contempt of Congress charges can only be pursued by the Justice Department and can result in a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.