What Does Steve Bannon's Conviction Mean for Trump?

Steve Bannon, who served as former President Donald Trump's chief strategist in 2017, was convicted Friday on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

A federal jury found him guilty after deliberating for nearly three hours, CNN reported. His sentencing was set for October 21, when he could face a minimum of 30 days and up to one year of incarceration. Bannon, who is expected to appeal the ruling, could also face a fine of between $100 and $100,000.

The conviction could potentially hurt Trump by strengthening the House committee's base in seeking testimony and documents from other figures in his circle, Reuters reported. The conviction, and related possibility of jail time and fines, may work to deter others from defying the panel's subpoenas in the future.

When Bannon was initially defying the House panel subpoenas last year, he cited "executive privilege," which can bar documents involving presidents from being made public. His lawyers said at the time that it was under Trump's directions that he was defying the subpoena.

The House committee, in turn, sought contempt charges against Bannon, accusing him of hiding behind Trump's "insufficient, blanket, and vague statements regarding privileges he has purported to invoke."

The committee has been holding a series of public hearings to present evidence that it says shows a coordinated effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In its eighth hearing, which took place Thursday evening, the panel played audio from a meeting that it said Bannon held with associates days before the 2020 election.

"What Trump's gonna do is declare victory," Bannon said in the clip. "But that doesn't mean he's the winner. He's just going to say he's the winner."

Bannon was also heard saying that if Trump was losing, the former president would claim that the election was stolen.

Representative Liz Cheney, the panel's vice chair, said: "What the new Steve Bannon audio demonstrates is Donald Trump's plan to falsely claim victory in 2020, no matter what the facts were, was premeditated. Perhaps worse, Donald Trump believed he could convince his voters to buy it, whether he had any actual evidence of fraud or not."

As his contempt trial was still approaching, Bannon said earlier this month that he would agree to testify before the House committee, which some experts have described as a "gimmick" or a "ploy."

Peter Navarro, a former Trump aide, is also facing contempt of Congress charges for allegedly failing to comply with the House committee investigating the Capitol breach.

Newsweek reached out to Bannon's lawyer and a Trump spokesperson for comment.