Jury selected for contempt trial of Trump aide Bannon
By AFP Published: Jul 19, 2022 08:33 PM
A jury was selected Monday for the trial of Donald Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon for defying a subpoena to testify before lawmakers investigating the attack on the US Capitol.
Bannon, who led Trump's successful 2016 presidential election campaign, was among dozens of people called by a congressional committee to testify about the 2021 storming of Congress by Trump supporters.
The 68-year-old refused the summons and was indicted on two charges of contempt of Congress.
A 22-person jury was selected on Monday to hear the case. The panel will be cut down to 12 jurors and two alternates on Tuesday, and opening arguments will begin in
what is expected to be a speedy trial.
Bannon's lawyers sought to delay the start of the trial so it would not take place at the same time as the House committee's public hearings into the Capitol attack, but the judge refused the request last week.
Thousands of Trump supporters, many associated with ultra-nationalist and white supremacist groups, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 in an effort to block the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
They had been egged on by Trump in a fiery speech near the White House, during which he repeated his false claims of election fraud.
According to the House committee probing the riot, Bannon spoke to Trump the previous day.
Investigators believe Bannon and other Trump advisors could have information on links between the White House and the rioters.