Former Trump adviser and right-wing podcaster Stephen K. Bannon promised that the contempt of Congress charges against him would become a “misdemeanor from hell” for the Biden administration, but after judicial rulings against his proposed defense, legal experts said his trial could be more of a quick trip through court.
At a recent hearing that left Bannon’s legal strategy in tatters, his lawyer David Schoen asked U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, “What’s the point of going to trial if there are no defenses?” The judge replied simply: “Agreed.”
The exchange was a remarkable comedown for the combative, bombastic Bannon team that live-streamed his declaration, “we’re taking down the Biden regime,” as he surrendered to the FBI in late 2021 on charges he had illegally flouted a subpoena from the House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Read more legal analysis of Bannon’s trial here.
