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An American jury has found Steve Bannon, former US President Donald Trump’s strategist, guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress.
“The defendant chose loyalty to Donald Trump over upholding the law.”
Each charge is punishable by 30 days to one year in prison, as well as a fine of US$100 to US$100,000.
Judge Carl Nichols set a sentencing date for Oct. 21.
Despite his team’s commitment to pursue his enemies, the case was closed Thursday without his testimony and without calling other witnesses.
Lawyers have claimed that the trial against Bannon is an act of political punishment.
In the last statements, the lawyer, Evan Corcoran, told the court that the path taken by his client, Bannon, “turned out to be wrong”, but “does not constitute a crime”.
The 12-member judicial panel deliberated for three hours before reaching its decision.
Bannon was a key player in the 2016 election that Trump won, serving first as his campaign manager and later as a White House strategist.
He left the position following the political fallout from a violent far-right march in Charlottesville in August 2017.
However, he is still considered an ally of Trump.
The House of Representatives committee, which is investigating the riots that occurred in the US Congress in January last year, invited Bannon for an interview in September.
The panel believed that Bannon was involved in efforts by Trump supporters to enter Congress and challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by incumbent Joe Biden.
The panel has been particularly interested in Bannon’s communications with Trump before the incident, as well as the meetings he held at a nearby hotel with other key figures.
Earlier in the day, the investigative committee said Trump watched the riots on television and ignored calls from his children and advisers to condemn the crowd.
In the hearing, it was said that Trump did not call law enforcement.
He was motivated “by the selfish desire to stay in power”, the committee said. Radio Free Europe
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