House finds Bannon in contempt

The US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to find Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for stonewalling the investigation into the Jan 6 Capitol attack, pressing for information from a close ally of former president Donald Trump as Republicans moved to insulate the former president from accountability.

The vote of 229-202, mostly along party lines, came after Mr Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the assault, declining to provide the panel with documents and testimony. The action sent the matter to the Justice Department, which now must decide whether to prosecute Mr Bannon and potentially set off a legal fight that could drag on for months or years.

But what was clear on Thursday was that nine months after the deadliest attack on the Capitol in two centuries, many Republicans in Congress remain bent on whitewashing, ignoring or even validating what took place as their party continues to embrace the lie of a stolen election. Only nine Republicans joined Democrats in voting to enforce the panel’s subpoena.

The rest followed the lead of Mr Trump, who in a statement hours before the vote, derided the election he lost as a crime and praised the violent mob attack on Jan 6 — which injured 140 police officers and claimed several lives — as a legitimate response.

“The insurrection took place on Nov 3, Election Day,” Mr Trump wrote. “Jan 6 was the protest!”

The question of what will happen to Mr Bannon will now go to the Justice Department, where Attorney General Merrick Garland has declined to say whether he will move forward with charges.