Why was Steve Bannon charged with criminal contempt? Former Trump advisor agrees to testify before House Select committee

Steve Bannon, a former adviser to the Donald Trump administration, has now consented to testify after initially bypassing January 6's House committee.

His attorney, Robert J. Costello, sent a letter to committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson and wrote:

"Mr Bannon is willing to, and indeed prefers to testify at your public hearing."

The select committee looked into how Trump's backers entered Congress on January 6, 2021, to obstruct members from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's victory.

Mr. Bannon was asked to testify about what he knew about the circumstances leading up to the violence, but he has declined to do so until this point.

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Steve Bannon was charged with criminal contempt for refusing to testify

Steve Bannon has been charged with contempt of Congress due to his defiance of the parliamentary committee's subpoena, which was issued in relation to the Capitol siege on January 6.

Bannon, who served as a political advisor to then-President Donald Trump, is accused of two counts of contempt and was charged on November 11. He was charged with one for refusing to attend for a deposition and the second for withholding documents.

As a result of the Justice Department's actions, Bannon may face fines and up to a year in jail for each count. It comes after several weeks of consideration by federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia who will be in charge of the criminal case.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement:

"Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law. Today's charges reflect the department's steadfast committment to these principles."

It is anticipated that Steve Bannon will surrender on Monday, July 18, and show up in court in the afternoon — according to a Justice Department official who was not allowed to comment on the record.

Bannon said he was protected by Trump's assertion of executive privilege and declined to assist the House panel who were looking into the storming of the Capitol.

However, according to legal experts, that assertion is baseless considering that Bannon is a private man who hasn't worked for the White House in years and that Joe Biden, the current president, waived privilege on a number of subjects before the House committee.

Steve Bannon declined to testify before the committee, and he also refused to share any documents. A criminal contempt referral for him was approved by the House last month.

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Complex relations between Steve Bannon and the White House

Steve Bannon, 67, has run into trouble with the law previously. Bannon was accused of cheating Americans who donated money to build a wall along the southern border of the United States by federal prosecutors in New York.

However, Trump pardoned Bannon in the final days of his presidency this year to spare him from going to trial.

Trump's secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, had said:

"Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen.

Bannon was fired as White House's top strategist after falling out of favor with Donald Trump in 2017. However, the two were able to reconcile their differences, at least in part, and by January, Bannon was applauding the Washington rally on his War Room podcast.

On January 5, only hours before the Capitol was stormed, Bannon warned his audience, "All hell is going to break loose tomorrow."