U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) released a statement this week responding to a federal judge ordering former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon to report to prison before July 1.
Bannon, who was convicted in 2022 on a contempt of Congress charge for refusing to provide testimony to the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the Capitol, had been appealing the conviction.
[Note: The Trump-appointed federal judge Carl Nichols suspended Bannon’s four-month sentence while Bannon appealed the conviction. Notably, fellow ex-Trump advisor Peter Navarro, who also refused the committee’s subpoena to testify, is currently serving his four month sentence after the Supreme Court — in an order written by Chief Justice John Roberts — rejected Navarro’s bid to avoid prison.]
Gaetz wrote: “Steve Bannon sought judicial review of the illegal demands of a runaway congressional committee, unlike any ever comprised. It was literally a matter of first impression.” [NOTE: In May, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Bannon’s appeal.]
It is with great sadness and anger that we observe the death of the judicial system in America.
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) June 6, 2024
Steve Bannon sought judicial review of the illegal demands of a runaway congressional committee, unlike any ever comprised. It was literally a matter of first impression.
And… https://t.co/BL80aQvlTR
The Congressman added: “And they’re sending him to prison – not just to torture him but to torture us. He didn’t even get a real trial. His defenses were stripped by a judge who hates him.”
Gaetz continued, saying “The ramifications of these actions will reverberate in a very dark way for a long time. I’ve begged House leaders to advance legislation to expunge these contempt proceedings on Bannon/Navarro/Scavino/Meadows. They’ve refused. Likely because we don’t have the votes.”
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