The real reason the January 6th Committee got the best of Steve Bannon
After the January 6th Committee voted to hold Steve Bannon in contempt, it then spent several extra days having the full House vote on it too. At the time there were a number of folks on our side who demanded to know why, and insisted the committee was “dragging its feet” and “lacked a sense of urgency.”
Well, when the judge in the Steve Bannon criminal trial ruled today that the January 6th Committee’s subpoena is valid, and that Bannon therefore can’t argue to the jury that the subpoena is illegitimate, the judge specifically cited the fact that the full House also voted in favor of the subpoena.
In the judge’s view, the full House approval of the subpoena has so thoroughly erased any questions as to the January 6th Committee’s legitimacy, it’s not reasonable for Bannon to even be allowed to so much as raise the question of legitimacy to the jury.
If the committee hadn’t gone through the formality of spending a few extra days having the full House sign off on the subpoena, perhaps this judge might have ruled the other way. For that matter, if the committee had tried to send the criminal referral directly to the DOJ, without having the full House vote on it first, the DOJ might not have been willing to bring the indictment – specifically because it would have opened the door for Bannon to win at trial.
Bottom line: when it comes to legal procedures, there’s a way things work, and there’s a way things fail. If the committee had cut corners in the name of rushing things, Bannon might have been able to get himself acquitted at trial. But because the committee did things the proper way, Bannon is very likely to be convicted at trial. Doing things the right way isn’t a lack of urgency. It’s a desire to win.
