House Republicans back Steve Bannon's Supreme Court appeal
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Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon during a June 15 event in Detroit, Michigan. Photo: Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu via Getty Images
Steve Bannon is praising House Republicans for supporting the former Trump adviser's emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to stay out of prison.
Why it matters: The Trump-aligned America First Legal filed an amicus brief to the high court with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) on Wednesday in support of Bannon, who's due to report to prison to serve a four-month sentence by July for defying a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6 attack.
- The Department of Justice countered in a legal filing to the Supreme Court on Wednesday that Bannon's case doesn't meet the "extraordinary" criteria that would allow him to remain free as he appeals his conviction.
Driving the news: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Fox News' "Hannity" on Tuesday night that House Republicans were "working on filing an amicus brief with his appellate work there in his case because the January 6 committee was, we think, wrongfully constituted."
What he's saying: "Speaker Johnson and House leadership showed tremendous courage in repudiating the illegally constituted J6 Committee and its activities/investigations," Bannon said in a text message to Axios late Tuesday.
The big picture: Republicans have previously pushed back in a report that Democrats labeled as "dishonest" on the work of the select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot for its focus on former President Trump, which Johnson on Tuesday described as "tainted."
- Johnson told Fox News' Sean Hannity that the GOP was investigating the panel that comprised seven Democrats and two Republicans and that they disagreed with how Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "put all that together."
- He said they believe it "violated House rules" and "so we'll be expressing that to the court, and I think it will help Steve Bannon in his appeal."
- That's reflected in the amicus brief that was filed on Wednesday, as House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight chair Laudermilk noted in a statement announcing the legal action.
- "The Select Committee failed to comply with the rules governing its own procedure," Laudermilk wrote. "Therefore, the prosecution of Mr. Bannon for failing to appear for a deposition is invalid, as is any criminal prosecution."
Flashback: Bannon was sentenced in 2022 for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 panel.
- He failed to turn over documents or appear for a deposition to the committee, citing executive privilege.
- The Jan. 6 panel said in its contempt resolution that Bannon had been a private citizen for more than three years by Jan. 6, 2021.
- A federal appeals court upheld his conviction last month.
Read the amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court, via DocumentCloud:
Go deeper: Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from Speaker Mike Johnson, to reflect the filing of the amicus brief, the DOJ's filing, and with further context.
