On Monday, the trial of Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon got underway in Washington, DC. He faces charges of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with the January 6 Committee.
In the first episode of an exclusive series for The Post Millennial, lawyer and YouTuber Viva Frei broke down everything that took place on Day One of the Bannon Trial.
Frei began by situating the listener, and detailing how Bannon came to find himself on trial for contempt of Congress.
He explained that Bannon had "defied a congressional subpoena in the context of the committee that had been formed to investigate the events around the January 6 'insurrection' that never was."
Frei noted that in their resolution, the committee refers to the events of Jan. 6 as "domestic terrorism," and "empowered itself to investigate pretty much anything and everything directly or indirectly related to the events of that day."
Not long after its formation, the committee issued a subpoena to Bannon, asking him to testify and provide documents.
"Important to note," Frei said, "that Steve Bannon was not even present on the day of January 6; he was not in the Capitol building."
"But he was present the day before, when he is alleged to have said something to the effect of, 'All hell's gonna break lose tomorrow'."
Frei suggested that the committee had targeted Bannon due to his popularity, and said it was an "understatement" to say the subpoena was "drafted in a manor that could be qualified as a fishing expedition."
In response to the subpoena, Bannon pointed out that he had "executive privilege" as a result of his short tenure in the White House, and refused to show up on the day he was asked to testify and produce the relevant documents. He was subsequently indicted on the aforementioned charges.
"I don't even wanna call it a kangaroo court," Frei said of the January 6 committee, "because it would be an insult to marsupials."
He suggested it shouldn't even be called a court, because "there's nothing legal about the proceedings," adding that "it's pure political theatre."
Frei went on to slam the committee for holding hearings, during which Bannon's name was mentioned numerous times, in the weeks leading up to his trial, and CNN for running a "hit-piece" against the former Trump adviser on Sunday.
Bannon attempted to delay the trial, pointing out that Trump had recently waived his executive privilege, and thus he was ready to testify. Despite this, the judge demanded that the trial still go on.
His attempt to delay the trial on grounds that the media's portrayal of him would have a prejudicial effect on his ability to get a fair jury was also denied.
Frei then moved on to day one of the trial itself, which consisted of jury selection in "staunchly Democrat" Washington, DC.
He said that from what he has been told by those in the court room on Monday, those selected for the jury thus far have been "majority white" and "a good split between men and women." He added that some of the members are donors to the Democrats, and have connections in the "incestuous" world of law and politics in DC.
Frei concluded by saying he was "skeptical" that the trial would last the week it was scheduled to last, admitting that "there isn't much to go to trial on here."
If convicted, Bannon faces up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine per charge, with a mandatory minimum of thirty days in prison and a $100 fine.
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