Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday, charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions from the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
He was charged Friday with two contempt counts — one for refusing to appear for a deposition and another for declining to produce documents requested by the committee.
The indictment is a first. No one has ever been prosecuted before for contempt of Congress when executive privilege was asserted.
If convicted, Bannon could face up to a year behind bars and a fine of up to $100,000.
The past cases involved defendants whose testimony was sought regarding their government service. Bannon, by contrast, left his White House job in 2017, well before the period of interest to the House committee.
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