US judge denies Steve Bannon's latest effort to delay contempt trial

WASHINGTON

A federal judge in the US capital rejected Steve Bannon's latest request Tuesday to delay the start of his trial on criminal contempt of Congress charges.

The motion for a one-month delay is the third from Bannon seeking to draw out proceedings, according to multiple reports. He previously served as former President Donald Trump's campaign chairman and chief strategist and is a longtime ally of the former commander-in-chief.

Bannon, 68, faces two counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with subpoenas issued by a House of Representatives committee probing an insurrection at the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

One charge is related to his refusal to appeal while the other concerns his decision not to produce documents.

He faces between three months to a year in prison for each count.

Jury selection began Monday in Washington, D.C. District Court. But it has been a slog as attorneys attempt to select 14 D.C. residents that will comprise the jury, including two alternates, in a process known as voir dire.

Dozens of prospective jurors have already been dismissed from a pool of 60 because of concerns about bias, according to media reports. The process could conclude as soon as Tuesday.

Bannon's attorneys last week said he would be willing to testify after claiming executive privilege when he refused to speak with the House committee, despite not having worked at the White House since 2017.

The conservative strategist's legal team sent a letter to the committee saying Trump waived his claim of executive privilege and Bannon is now "willing to, indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing.”

The committee is seeking to interview Bannon about meetings he participated in at the Willard Hotel in Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, the night before Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent US President Joe Biden from assuming office.

The Willard, which is blocks from the White House, was the scene of Trump's "War Room" where the former president's loyalists worked around the clock to come up with strategies to overturn the November 2020 election, which Trump lost by more than 7 million votes.