House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced today that House Republicans will file a brief to help Donald Trump‘s political advisor Steve Bannon, who faces four months in prison after being convicted on contempt of Congress charges. A judge has ordered Bannon to report to prison before Monday, July 1.
As seen in the statement (below) released by Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) voted 3-2 to file a brief with the D.C. Circuit in the case against Bannon. (Bannon did not comply to a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the U.S .Capitol.)
Speaker Johnson announces GOP-led House will file brief to help Trump ally Steve Bannon after his conviction on contempt of Congress charges and as he faces jail time pic.twitter.com/aGNuNcvfAy
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 26, 2024
The two who voted against the filing are Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts.
The BLAG statement says: “House Republican Leadership continues to believe Speaker Pelosi abused her authority when organizing the Select Committee.”
Speaker Johnson says they’re working on filing a amicus brief regarding Steve Bannon: I think it will help Steve Bannon. pic.twitter.com/ay7cddzh8X
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 26, 2024
Note: Bannon has been a vocal critic of Speaker Johnson. In April, Bannon called the House Speaker a “disgusting, revolting loser” for not releasing a report which Bannon claimed would have helped Trump during his criminal trial in New York, where Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts.
Note: Peter Navarro, Trump’s former economic advisor in the White House, is currently serving four months in prison for a similar contempt of Congress charge after his appeal to the Supreme Court failed to help him.