Steve Bannon was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress, 2 USC 192:
Apparently, the penalty for each count is only a maximum fine of $1,000 and a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
I found nothing yet that says the court can order a convicted defendant to comply with the subpoenas that led to the charges.
Furthermore, these charges are hardly ever successful or even filed -- the last conviction for such charges was, wait for it, G. Gordon Liddy in 1974:
Liddy received a suspended six-month sentence for each count and apparently refused to ever testify about his role in Watergate, despite his conviction.
There just are not enough teeth in this statute, and Bannon will drag this out for months. It will be surprising if Bannon ever testifies or coughs up documents from these subpoenas, unless other charges are added.
DocumentCloud
www.documentcloud.org
Apparently, the penalty for each count is only a maximum fine of $1,000 and a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
Stephen K. Bannon Indicted for Contempt of Congress
Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
www.justice.gov
I found nothing yet that says the court can order a convicted defendant to comply with the subpoenas that led to the charges.
Furthermore, these charges are hardly ever successful or even filed -- the last conviction for such charges was, wait for it, G. Gordon Liddy in 1974:
Bannon 1st Person Charged with Contempt of Congress Since 1983
Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was indicted by a grand jury in November 2021.
www.snopes.com
Liddy received a suspended six-month sentence for each count and apparently refused to ever testify about his role in Watergate, despite his conviction.
There just are not enough teeth in this statute, and Bannon will drag this out for months. It will be surprising if Bannon ever testifies or coughs up documents from these subpoenas, unless other charges are added.