House Finds Bannon in Contempt for Defying Jan. 6 Inquiry Subpoena

WASHINGTON — The House voted connected Thursday to find Stephen K. Bannon successful transgression contempt of Congress for stonewalling the probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, taking enactment against a adjacent state of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump arsenic helium and Republicans veered deeper into their efforts to warrant the unit with mendacious claims of a stolen election.

The ballot of 229 to 202, mostly on enactment lines, came aft Mr. Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena from the House prime committee investigating the riot, declining to supply the sheet with documents and testimony. The enactment sent the substance to the Justice Department, which present indispensable determine whether to prosecute Mr. Bannon and perchance acceptable disconnected a prolonged ineligible fight.

But what was wide connected Thursday successful the statement earlier the ballot was that 9 months aft the deadliest onslaught connected the Capitol successful 2 centuries, astir Republicans remained bent connected whitewashing, ignoring oregon adjacent validating the mob unit connected Jan. 6 successful Mr. Trump’s name, based connected his prevarication of predetermination fraud.

They did truthful seemingly astatine the absorption of Mr. Trump himself, who successful a connection earlier the ballot derided the predetermination helium mislaid arsenic a transgression and praised the mob onslaught — which injured 140 constabulary officers and claimed respective lives — arsenic a morganatic response.

“The insurrection took spot connected Nov. 3, Election Day,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Jan. 6 was the protest!”

On the level of the House, Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts, condemned the erstwhile president’s comments.

“We unrecorded successful an property wherever seemingly immoderate enactment fidelity to Donald Trump implicit fidelity to the Constitution. I find that disgusting,” Mr. McGovern said.

“He is truthful feared,” Mr. McGovern added, “that my Republican colleagues are going to support denying what happened that day.”

The question of what volition hap to Mr. Bannon volition present spell to the Justice Department, wherever Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has declined to accidental whether helium volition determination guardant with charges.

“We’ll use the facts successful the instrumentality and marque a decision, accordant with the principles of prosecution,” helium told the House Judiciary Committee during an oversight proceeding connected Thursday.

President Biden has endorsed prosecuting those who bash not cooperate with the investigation. On Thursday, helium made a constituent of condemning the riot and its origins.

“The violent, deadly insurrection connected the Capitol 9 months agone — it was astir achromatic supremacy,” Mr. Biden said successful a code connected Thursday to commemorate the 10th day of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument successful Washington.

Robert J. Costello, Mr. Bannon’s lawyer, informed the House committee that his lawsuit would not comply with its subpoena, citing Mr. Trump’s directive for his erstwhile aides and advisers to invoke immunity and refrain from turning implicit documents that mightiness beryllium protected nether enforcement privilege.

Under national law, immoderate idiosyncratic summoned arsenic a legislature witnesser who refuses to comply tin look a misdemeanor complaint that carries a good of $100 to $100,000 and a jailhouse condemnation of 1 period to 1 year.

Understand the Claim of Executive Privilege successful the Jan. 6. Inquiry

Members of the investigative committee, which is controlled by Democrats, judge that Mr. Bannon has important accusation astir plans to undermine Mr. Biden’s victory, including conversations Mr. Bannon had with Mr. Trump successful which helium urged the erstwhile president to absorption his efforts connected Jan. 6.

In a study recommending that the House find Mr. Bannon successful contempt, the committee repeatedly cited comments helium made connected his vigor amusement connected Jan. 5 — erstwhile Mr. Bannon promised “all hellhole is going to interruption escaped tomorrow” — arsenic grounds that “he had immoderate foreknowledge astir utmost events that would hap the adjacent day.”

Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the committee’s vice chairwoman, has suggested that Mr. Trump’s insistence connected enforcement privilege is grounds helium was intimately progressive successful the crippled to overturn the predetermination connected Jan. 6.

“Mr. Bannon’s and Mr. Trump’s privilege arguments bash look to uncover 1 thing, however: They suggest that President Trump was personally progressive successful the readying and execution of Jan. 6,” Ms. Cheney said.

She was 1 of 9 Republicans to articulation House Democrats successful voting to find Mr. Bannon successful transgression contempt. The others were Representatives Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, the different Republican subordinate of the panel; Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio; John Katko of New York; Nancy Mace of South Carolina; Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington; Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania; and Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, some of Michigan.

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California had encouraged chap Republicans to reason the contempt referral. He called the committee’s subpoena “invalid” and said helium agreed with Mr. Bannon that a tribunal should determine whether the erstwhile Trump advisor should comply.

“They are utilizing this to people their opponents,” Mr. McCarthy said.