WASHINGTON — Longtime Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon asked a federal judge to exclude all evidence relating to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol from his criminal contempt trial.
Bannon was indicted in November on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee seeking his testimony and production of documents. In a Friday filing, Bannon argued that the evidence should be excluded in part because it will prejudice a jury, in light of the media attention given to the committee hearings.
In a separate filing, the government asked the judge to prevent Bannon from presenting arguments that would “politicize” the case, pointing to his past claims that he has been targeted for political reasons. For example, prosecutors said Bannon’s defense team should be prevented from questioning witnesses, including those on the select committee, about their politics.
At every turn “the defendant has attempted to make this case and the issues in it about politics, not the law and the facts,” prosecutors wrote.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols denied Bannon’s request to dismiss the charges against him. The judge said he would decide later what evidence will be allowed at the trial that is scheduled to start July 18.
