Trump ordered to testify in probe panel as Bannon gets jail term for his refusal

Former US president Donald Trump has been subpoenaed to testify before the congressional panel probing his role in the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters as his ex-adviser gets jail term for contempt of Congress.

"As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power," the House of Representatives committee wrote in a letter to Trump on Friday.

The investigative committee noted that it had sent a subpoena to Trump requiring documents to be submitted to the panel by November 4 and him to appear for deposition testimony beginning on or about November 14.

"In short, you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself," Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney wrote in the letter to Trump.

The House Select committee's seven Democratic and two Republican members voted unanimously on October 13 in favor of subpoenaing Trump, a legal action that could lead to criminal charges if he refuses to comply.

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However, committee members have not elaborated on how they will proceed if Trump ignores the subpoena.

This is while Trump, who regularly mocks the panel as the "unselect committee," has accused it of waging unfair political attacks against him while declining to look into his allegations of widespread election fraud in the 2020 US presidential polls.

According to local observers and press reports, the former hawkish president and reality television star is unlikely to cooperate with the congressional subpoena and will probably attempt to run out the clock on a committee whose mandate will likely end in January if Republicans win a majority in the House – as widely predicted -- in the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump, meanwhile, continues to hold political rallies ahead of the November polls repeating his allegations of election fraud while suggesting that he will seek the presidency again in 2024.

According to US federal law, failure to comply with a congressional subpoena is a misdemeanor, punishable by one to 12 months imprisonment. If the subpoena is ignored, the committee would vote to refer the issue to the full House. The House then would vote on whether to make a referral to the Department of Justice, which has the authority to decide whether to bring charges.

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Thousands of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, after the far-right Republican delivered a fiery speech at a rally near the White House featuring false claims that his defeat in the 2020 presidential election by Democrat Joe Biden was the result of fraud.

During the assault, pro-Trump rioters smashed through glass doors and battled with police forces. Five people, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage and then Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and staff were sent running for their lives.

Trump’s ex-aide Bannon gets jail term for contempt of Congress

Friday’s subpoena of Trump came just hours after Steve Bannon, his former top adviser and an influential far-right figure, was sentenced by a federal judge to four months in prison for refusing to cooperate with the panel's investigation.

Bannon was found guilty back in July on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to provide documents or testimony to the House committee probing the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Prosecutors had sought a six-month sentence. He is free, however, pending his appeal. 

US District Judge Carl Nichols also ordered Bannon -- the top adviser to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign who was appointed in 2017 to serve as chief White House strategist -- to pay a fine of $6,500. The judge allowed Bannon to defer serving his sentence while he appeals his conviction.

Prosecutor J.P. Cooney said during the Friday's hearing that Bannon chose to "thumb his nose at Congress," and that he "is not above the law, and that's what makes this case important."

According to the Jan. 6 committee, Bannon spoke with Trump at least twice on the day before the attack, attended a planning meeting at a Washington hotel and said on his right-wing podcast that "all hell is going to break loose tomorrow."

A firebrand, Brannon helped articulate the "America First" right-wing populism and stout opposition to immigration that helped define Trump's presidency. Bannon has played an instrumental role in right-wing media and has promoted right-wing causes and candidates within the US and abroad.

"Today was my judgment day by the judge, but...on November 8, they are going to have judgment on the illegitimate Biden regime, and quite frankly, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and the entire committee," Bannon told reporters after the hearing, referring to the day after the upcoming midterm election on November 7.

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Friday's sentencing does not end Bannon's legal troubles, however. He was indicted in New York state in September on charges of money laundering and conspiracy, with prosecutors charging him with deceiving donors giving money to help build Trump's promised wall along the US-Mexico border.

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