What did Steve Bannon do? Former Trump advisor convicted over Contempt of Congress

Steve Bannon has been charged with the Contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by a parliamentary committee in connection with the Capitol siege on January 6, 2021.

Bannon warned the audience of his podcast on January 5, just hours before the Capitol was attacked, by saying,

"All hell is going to break out tomorrow."

Bannon, 68, who advised then-President Donald Trump on political matters, was charged on November 11 with two counts of contempt. He was accused of concealing documents and refusing to appear for a deposition. He faces up to two years in prison and fines of up to $200,000 (£167,000).

Speaking to reporters outside court, Bannon vowed to overturn the judgment with a "bullet-proof appeal." He said,

"We may have lost the battle here today, but we're not going to lose this war."

Reportedly, his sentencing is set for October 21, 2022.

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Prosecutors allege Steve Bannon showed disregard toward law and order directives

According to attorneys with the US Department of Justice, Bannon ignored necessary court summons from the congressional committee looking into the US Capitol hack on January 6. They also said Bannon felt "above the law" in doing so.

Prosecutor Molly Gaston said during closing statements,

"Our government only works if people show up, it only works if people play by the rules, and it only works if people are held accountable when they do not."

She added,

"The defendant chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law."

Steve Bannon's defense team rested its case on Thursday, July 21, 2022, without him testifying or presenting any additional witnesses, despite his threat to unleash "medieval" warfare on his adversaries. Bannon's attorneys claim he was a target of political retaliation in the trial.

They claimed that instead of disregarding the subpoenas, he thought he was negotiating with them and that the deadlines in the summons were adjustable rather than fixed.

The defendant's defense attorney, Evan Corcoran, stated in his closing arguments that the course of action his client followed "turned out to be a mistake" but "was not a crime."

On Friday, the 12-member jury panel discussed the matter for under three hours before reaching a decision.

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Steve Bannon was demoted from his position as the White House's Chief Strategist

68-year-old Steve Bannon has a history of legal issues. Federal authorities in New York charged Bannon with defrauding Americans who contributed money to erect a wall along the country's southern border.

However, Trump granted Bannon a pardon in the final days of his administration to exempt him from facing 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.

In 2017, Bannon fell out of favor with Donald Trump and was demoted from his position as the White House's chief strategist. To some extent, the two were able to patch things up, and by January, Bannon was praising the Washington rally on his War Room podcast.