FORMER US PRESIDENT Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon has entered a “not guilty” plea after his arrest on charges of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify on the 6 January attack on the Capitol.
One day ahead of the first hearing scheduled in his case, Bannon entered the plea in a federal district court in Washington, without explaining the grounds for his plea.
In October Bannon rejected a subpoena to testify to the House special committee investigating the attack by hundreds of Trump supporters on the US legislature.
The House then referred the contempt charges to the Justice Department, where a grand jury reviewed the case and voted to indict him on two counts.
Investigators believe Bannon and other advisors to Trump could have information on links between the White House and the mob that invaded the Capitol, on the day it was due to certify Joe Biden as winner of the November 2020 presidential election.
Although he was not a White House employee or official Trump advisor, Bannon’s attorneys said he was protected by presidential privilege and did not have to cooperate with the committee.
If convicted, each contempt charge could bring one month to one year in jail, and a fine of up to $100,000.
Bannon surrendered to the FBI on Monday and vowed to fight the case.
He accused US President Joe Biden of having “ordered” the Justice Department to prosecute him.
“I’m never going to back down,” he told reporters.
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