Steve Bannon is pushing for the release of court documents as he faces contempt of Congress charges. A "standard protective order for discovery" has been applied to the case, blocking the government and the defense from releasing relevant documents to the public, reports the Washington Post. But "members of the public should make their own independent judgment as to whether the US Department of Justice is committed to a just result based upon all the facts," reads a statement provided to the Post on Bannon's behalf. It notes Bannon filed an opposition asking the judge "to follow the normal process and allow unfettered access to and use of the documents."
The former Trump White House adviser, 67, has pleaded not guilty to one count related to his refusal to appear for an Oct. 14 deposition before the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and another related to his refusal to produce documents. Attorneys for the government say there are "less than 20 documents" to be provided, per the Hill. But Bannon's team has said there are many more to find, and that witnesses are also needed. His team claims the government "offered no reason why it wanted to limit Mr. Bannon's attorneys in their use of the documents to prepare a defense."
Defense attorneys also say it's unclear why the documents should be kept from the public when many of them are already public. The House panel is particularly interested in Bannon's role in meetings at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, a block away from the White House, where advisers and lawyers reportedly plotted to reinstate Trump for a second term in the days leading up to Jan. 6. Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and conservative legal scholar John Eastman were also reportedly in attendance, per Business Insider. Eastman was subpoenaed earlier this month. (More Steve Bannon stories.)
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