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‘Impossible to guarantee a fair trial’: Bannon claims J6 ‘media blitz’ is grounds to delay contempt trial

June 30, 2022 | | Print Article

Steve Bannon, a former Donald Trump aide, is requesting that his contempt of Congress trial be pushed back until October due to the media attention being received by the televised January 6 Committee hearings.

Bannon claimed in a legal filing that the current environment would put his right to a fair trial at risk. The trial is scheduled to take place on July 18 and is due to his failure to comply with a Select Committee subpoena related to the investigation into the events of the January 6 Capitol riot.

“It would be impossible to guarantee Mr. Bannon a fair trial in the middle of much-publicized Select Committee hearings which purport to broadcast investigative ‘findings’ on topics that are referenced in the Indictment,” it reads.

“Under the circumstances, we believe that it would be erroneous to deny a requested continuance when congressional hearings create prejudicial pretrial publicity – as has been acknowledged by the Government and found to constitute good cause for a trial continuance in another pending case in this district.”

“When trial was scheduled, neither the Court nor the parties were aware of the June and upcoming July media blitz by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” it continued.

The filing goes on to accuse the Select Committee of purposefully attempting to maximize its media impact, saying the televised hearings “have a lot in common with scripted TV.”

“The Select Committee hired a television executive to produce maximum public impact. In addition, the Select Committee scheduled its initial public hearing during prime time – again, to maximize public impact when presenting purported investigative ‘findings.’ As described by a cultural critic, the Select Committee hearings ‘have a lot in common with scripted TV mini-series: narrative, editing — even surprise reveals’ and ‘their attention to substance and style, combining their prosecutorial case with a consciousness of what piques viewers’ curiosity and keeps people talking afterward,” it accused.

Bannon worked as Trump’s chief strategist and senior counselor during his presidency but left that post just seven months after Trump’s inauguration to rejoin the team at Breitbart. The indictment against him was filed in November 2021 for failure to comply with a subpoena.

Reactions to Bannon’s request were mixed:

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