Bannon contempt trial: After guilty verdict, Bannon rips Jan. 6 committee members

Federal prosecutor Amanda Vaughn began opening statements by saying, "In September of last year, Congress needed information from the defendant, Steve Bannon. ... Congress needed to know what the defendant knew about the events of Jan. 6, 2021. ... Congress had gotten information that the defendant might have some details about the events leading up to that day and what occurred that day."

So, Vaughn told the jury, Congress gave Bannon a subpoena "that mandated" he provide any information he might have.

"Congress was entitled to the information it sought, it wasn't optional," Vaughn said. "But as you will learn in this trial, the defendant refused to hand over the information he might have."

Vaughn said Bannon ignored "multiple warnings" that he could face criminal prosecution for refusing to comply with the subpoena and for preventing the government from getting "important information."

"The defendant decided he was above the law and decided he didn't need to follow the government's orders," she said.

Prior to opening statements, the judge made clear to the jury that the Justice Department has the burden to prove four distinct elements "beyond a reasonable doubt":

(1) that Bannon was in fact subpoenaed for testimony and/or documents;

(2) that the testimony and/or documents were "pertinent" to the Jan. 6 committee's investigation;

(3) that Bannon "failed to comply or refused to comply" with the subpoena;

(4) that the "failure or refusal to comply was willful."

A 14-member jury has been sworn in for the contempt trial of ex-Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

Of the 14 jurors, nine are men and five are women.

The swearing-in of the jury comes after U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols denied the defense's request for a one-month delay of the trial, which attorneys for Bannon argued was necessary due to a "seismic shift in the understanding of the parties" of what the government's evidence will be.

"We have a jury that is just about picked," Nichols said in denying the request for a one-month continuance.

One of the jurors, a man who works for an appliance company, said Monday during jury selection that he watched the first Jan. 6 committee hearing and believes the committee is "trying to find the truth about what happened" on Jan. 6.

Another juror, a man who works as a maintenance manager for the Washington, D.C., Parks and Recreation department, said he believes what happened on Jan. 6 "doesn't make sense."

Another juror, a woman who works as a photographer for NASA, said "a lot" of her "photographer friends were at the Capitol" on Jan. 6, and she has watched some of the Jan. 6 hearings on the news.