Government

Steve Bannon Is BRINGIN' IT To Joe Biden ... Eventually

No hurry, your Honor. Maybe we can schedule a hearing in 2023?

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(Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Outside the federal courthouse where he was arrested for contempt of Congress Monday, Steve Bannon was defiant.

“This is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden,” he shouted, jabbing his finger at reporters. “Joe Biden ordered Merrick Garland to prosecute me from the White House lawn when he got off Marine One.”

“You should understand, Nancy Pelosi is taking on Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. She ought to ask Hillary Clinton how that turned out.”

Well, if we’re keeping score, Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House, while Trump is on a golf course tapping out fake tweets and Bannon is offering free, online therapy to Mike Lindell every week. So, make of that one what you will.

As for Bannon’s threats to rain hell down on his enemies, his lawyers seemed to take a somewhat different posture. They’ve not only waived the right to a speedy trial; they’d like to drag this out forever, or at least until 2023.

As reported by Politico, the government takes the position that the issue is simply whether or not Bannon complied with the January 6 Select Committee’s subpoena for documents and testimony.

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“In our view, this is a very straightforward case about whether or not the defendant showed up,” AUSA Amanda Vaughn told US District Judge Carl J. Nichols.

“There are complex constitutional issues that are at play. It really makes no sense today to set a trial date that will likely be moved,” countered defense attorney Evan Corcoran.

Bannon’s counsel hinted that he intends to depose members of the government, presumably about undue White House influence over the decision to charge his client. Which is a bold claim on behalf of a guy who spent years demanding that Donald Trump and Bill Barr put Hillary Clinton in jail.

Corcoran also sought to link his client’s executive privilege claim to the pending dispute over disclosure of Trump’s presidential records to the Select Committee. That case involves documents held by the federal government under the Presidential Records Act, and Bannon hasn’t been a government employee since 2017, but other than that, these two things are exactly the same.

Corcoran laid it on thick, purporting to be concerned about burdening a docket which is already stretched thin with all the January 6 riot defendants — although he failed to mention that his client’s testimony about his role in summoning the mob to DC is the issue in this contempt case.

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“We’re not asking to cut in line and we understand that that is something that affects the court’s docket,” he said.

But Judge Nichols responded that he was perfectly capable of managing his own calendar, thankyouverymuch.

“It does seem to me that I can manage the interplay between this case and the other cases in my docket in a way that will ensure that no one will not have their day in court,” he said tartly.

In the end, Bannon the Brawler from the courthouse steps got his way, while Bashful Bannon from the courtroom was disappointed.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to wait, essentially a month-and-a-half or longer,” Judge Nichols said, setting the next hearing for December 7.

No doubt Speaker Pelosi is shaking in her pumps.

Judge rejects Bannon effort to slow walk contempt case [Politico]

US v. Bannon [Docket via Court Listener]

Liz Dye (@5DollarFeminist) lives in Baltimore where she writes about law and politics.

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