Speaker Johnson & House GOP File Legal Brief
Let’s dive into the latest development from Capitol Hill, where Republican members of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, are stepping up to support former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in his ongoing legal battle.
Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, was convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee. This committee was investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Bannon was ordered to serve a four-month prison sentence but has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to stay out of jail as he continues his appeal process.
Now, in a notable move, House Republican leaders have announced they will file an amicus brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of Bannon’s appeal. The decision to file this brief came from the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, a House entity composed of leaders from both parties. However, this decision was made strictly along party lines, with Republicans supporting the move.
Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer issued a joint statement confirming their plans. They stated that the brief would be submitted after Bannon files a petition for rehearing en banc.
The brief aims to support neither party but will address concerns about the organization of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Republican leaders believe that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi abused her authority in setting up the committee.
“We’re working on filing an amicus brief in his appellate work there in his case because the Jan. 6 committee was, we think, wrongfully constituted,” Johnson told Fox News’s Sean Hannity. “We think the work was tainted. We think that they may have very well covered up evidence and maybe even more nefarious activities.”
The brief will also seek to withdraw certain arguments made by the House in earlier litigation about the select committee’s organization. Johnson and his colleagues argue that Pelosi violated House rules by installing her chosen Republicans on the committee, bypassing the GOP’s nominations.
In another significant development, earlier in June, Attorney General Merrick Garland was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Biden’s interviews with Special Counsel Robert Hur in the classified documents case. Despite this, the Department of Justice, overseen by Garland, refused to prosecute.
As this situation unfolds, it’s clear that the battle over the January 6 committee and its findings continues to spark significant political and legal contention. The support from House Republicans for Bannon highlights ongoing disputes over the committee’s legitimacy and the broader implications for those involved in the investigation.