Opening statements in the federal trial of Stephen K. Bannon are set to begin this afternoon after jury selection wrapped today. The former Trump adviser and right-wing podcaster is charged with two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with an order from the House Jan. 6 committee to turn over records and testify about his actions ahead of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In declining to testify and turn over records, Bannon claimed executive privilege, and his lawyer said he was contacted by Trump lawyer Justin Clark and instructed not to respond. But during a pretrial hearing this month, the judge overseeing the case rejected several of Bannon’s defenses, including the executive privilege claim. The judge narrowed Bannon’s defenses at trial mainly to whether he understood the deadlines for answering lawmakers’ demands.
The high-profile trial comes amid closely watched televised hearings of the very panel that Bannon rebuffed. It’s unclear how long his trial may take or if he will testify in his own case.
The jury selected to hear the contempt of Congress trial of former top Trump political strategist Stephen K. Bannon includes nine men and five women, and more than half of the 14 work for federal or D.C. government agencies or contractors.
The panel of 12 jurors and two alternates was seated about 2 p.m. and was read trial instructions before opening statements by U.S. prosecutors and Bannon’s defense.
The jury’s federal workers include a...
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