(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to former President Donald Trump, was officially detained after being indicted for his failure to cooperate with a subpoena issued by the House select committee that was formed to investigate the attacks on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6.
Now, California Democratic Representative Adam Schiff is saying that those actions are likely to convince other close associates of Trump to cooperate with the subpoenas.
On Sunday, Schiff spoke on “Meet the Press” on NBC, saying:
“Without a doubt. And indeed, even before the Justice Department acted, it influenced other witnesses … And now that witnesses see that if they don’t cooperate, if they don’t fulfill their lawful duty when subpoenaed, that they, too, may be prosecuted, it will have a very strong, focusing effect on their decision making.
“So, it’s very positive. I view this as an early test of whether our democracy was recovering. If our law is to mean anything, it has to be applied equally. And so, I’m very glad the Justice Department has moved forward in this fashion.”
Last Friday, Bannon was indicted after he decided not to comply with the committee’s subpoena. After surrendering to the FBIT early on Monday, he appeared in front of a judge for the charge, but didn’t enter a plea at the time.
He’s set for another court appearance in the matter on Thursday.
Outside the courtroom, Bannon said he would fight the charges, “taking on the Biden regime” in the process.
He even said would be “going on the offense” against the U.S. attorney general, Speaker of the House and president. Once outside the courtroom, he commented to reporters:
“This is going to be a misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.”
Bannon was released from custody without being forced to pay bail. On a weekly basis, though, he must check in with officials with the court. He also had to surrender his passport.
If he were to be convicted of the charge, Bannon’s sentence would be a minimum of 30 days in jail and a maximum of one year in jail, for each count.
Those serious potential penalties — and the fact that the government is following through on its threats — are what Schiff hopes will convince others to comply with any subpoenas issued to them.
He said:
“We need a re-establishment of the rule of law in this country, and I’m glad to see that that’s happening.”
There are still other former Trump aides who have yet to comply with subpoenas, though. Mark Meadows, the former chief of staff for the White House, didn’t comply with a separate subpoena that the committee issued last week.
Trump himself is even battling in court over the committee’s insistence that certain testimony and documents related to the January 6 attack be withheld from the members of the committee.
Meadows and Bannon are considered key witnesses in the committee’s investigation, because they are alleged to have been in close contact with the former president around the time of the attack.
