Donald Trump‘s former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who defied a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, has been ordered by a judge to report to jail to begin serving his four month sentence for contempt of Congress. (Bannon has spent two years appealing the charge, during which the judge delayed his sentencing.)
[Note: Former White House economist Peter Navarro, who appealed his own contempt of Congress charge and was rejected by the Supreme Court, is currently serving his four months in prison.]
Trump-endorsed U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) responded to Bannon’s legal situation and wrote: “I believe the only way Steve Bannon does not go to jail is if there is a vote taken by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) — to tell the court that it is the official view of the House of Representatives that the J6 committee was illegitimate!”
Note: BLAG is made up of the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA); Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA); Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN); Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) — representing a clear 3-2 advantage for Trump and the GOP.
I believe the only way Steve Bannon does not go to jail is if there is a vote taken by the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) — to tell the court that it is the official view of the House of Representatives that the J6 committee was illegitimate!
Nobody should be sitting in… pic.twitter.com/6qLt9HzL3f
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) June 13, 2024
Gaetz added: “Nobody should be sitting in a jail cell because they would not comply with the absurd musings of a committee unlike any before it in our nation’s history.”
Gaetz’s comments defending Bannon have received some criticism from the right for his perceived failure to defend the incarcerated Navarro in a similar way.
As one commenter wrote: “Y’all should have done this before they locked up Peter Navarro. This is way overdue.” Another chimed in: “Glad to hear this. But what is Navarro’s recourse for having pointlessly spent months in prison? And how do these guys recoup millions wasted on legal expenses unnecessarily? The House should’ve taken this action last year.”
Note: At the end of the video above, Gaetz was asked, “What about Navarro?” and replied, “He deserves the same thing.”