The U.S. Supreme Court reversed an appellate court decision that had upheld the guilty verdict against former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress. The trial judge will likely grant the Trump administration's request and dismiss the charges against Bannon "in the interests of justice." The move is largely symbolic, as Bannon already served a four-month prison term imposed after his 2022 conviction.
Bannon was convicted for refusing to testify before the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He invoked presidential executive immunity on behalf of Trump, but courts had rejected that defense. Separately, the Supreme Court issued a similar ruling in the case of former Cincinnati city council member P.G. Sittenfeld, who was pardoned by Trump last year after serving time for bribery.
The case against Bannon was originally brought by the Department of Justice under Democratic President Joe Biden, but the department radically changed its position after Trump's return to the White House in 2023. Separately, Bannon pleaded guilty in a New York state court to fraud related to donations for building a wall on the Mexican border, but that conviction is not affected by the Supreme Court's decision.
Based on: Steve Bannon wins Supreme Court order likely to lead to dismissal of contempt of Congress conviction