Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon convicted of contempt of US parliament | Abroad

Bannon, 68, was charged last year for failing to cooperate with the parliamentary committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, refusing to testify and provide documents. A jury now finds the 68-year-old guilty of contempt of the US parliament.

Bannon faces up to two years in prison and a fine of between 200 and 200,000 dollars (196 to 196,000 euros). His sentence will be determined later.

The House Committee, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has been investigating Donald Trump’s role and responsibility in his supporters’ attack on Congress for months. Four people died in the storming of the Capitol. The committee previously said it sees Bannon as an important witness, partly because he warned that “all hell will break loose” on January 6. He also spoke to Trump a day before the storming. According to prosecutor Vaughn, Bannon could have information about possible connections between the White House and the stormers of the Capitol.

Donald Trump last year called on his former associates not to cooperate with the commission. Bannon’s conviction may strengthen the House Committee’s position to obtain documents and testimony from other Trump supporters.

The jury decided in less than three hours. It is the first time since 1974, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, that a contempt of Congress charges lead to a conviction.

On Thursday, during the eighth hearing on the US Capitol storming, it also became clear that on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump did nothing for hours to stop the violence, despite pleas from his own confidants.