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Steve Bannon subpoenas Pelosi, members of Jan. 6 committee
Lawyers for Steve Bannon, the former adviser to former President Donald Trump, have "revenge" subpoenaed The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as well House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), The Independent reported Wednesday.
Bannon was indicted last year on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to cooperate with a subpoena from the committee. Now, as his July trial approaches, Bannon wants to challenge the viability of the panel's formation. The ex-aide's attorneys also want to "question lawmakers' motives for targeting Bannon and argue Bannon was not required to testify because doing so could have jeopardized former President Trump's executive privilege," CNN summarizes.
Notably, another Trump-appointed federal judge already ruled that the committee is valid, Bloomberg reports.
Three committee staffers, House general counsel Douglas Letter, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) were also subpoenaed alongside all nine committee members and Pelosi.
Former House general counsel Thomas Spulak said he is "extremely confident that the staff members and members of the House would be shielded" from the subpoenas by the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause, per CNN. "I'm very confident that defense would be upheld, and they will not be compelled to produce anything or appear for anything," he added.
One of Bannon's lawyers said it would be a "terrible irony" if the committee tried to squash the subpoenas, per the Independent. If members really wanted to speak with Bannon, they would not have recommended him for criminal contempt charges, the lawyer, David Schoen, continued.