Steve Bannon: Republicans need to have the 'stones' to put on a real hearing
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon joins 'Tucker Carlson Tonight' for his first interview since being found guilty of contempt of Congress for ignoring Jan. 6 hearing subpoena.
After his contempt of Congress conviction Friday, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon warned Democrats are waging an "ideological war" that regular Americans must win, pointing to the House January 6 committee and Biden administration as being tinged with Chinese Communist Party style governance.
"They're taking on the aspects of the authoritarian state and statist-capitalism combined. The elites that run this country, this is exactly how they want to run it," Bannon told "Tucker Carlson Tonight," claiming Judge Carl Nichols would not allow him to mount a defense before the jury based on his claim of executive privilege.
He pointed to an earlier interview on Fox News where former New York federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy said Bannon's defense could in essence only be "factual" – that is explicitly whether he received a subpoena and defied it.
Bannon expressed confidence he will continue to mount his appeals, saying the law is on his side against a "lawless committee" led by Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson and a similarly rogue White House administration.
BANNON LACKED A ‘FACTUAL DEFENSE’ BUT HAS ‘LEGAL DEFENSE’ FOR APPEAL: EX-PROSECUTOR
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon vowed to continue fighting. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
The former Breitbart executive highlighted how Thompson's committee lacks any Republican caucus-endorsed representation or a "minority [party] counsel" as in typical select committees – leading to what he said is a blatantly unethical and one-sided investigation.
"I think that's one of the reasons that it hasn't really had that big [of] an impact," he said. "When they interviewed people on the trial, I think almost all the working-class people didn't even know it was going on."
"They're coming at us on every aspect. Look, they're trying to shut you down," he told Fox News' Tucker Carlson. "[P]eople have to understand, right now, this is an ideological war, and we cannot lose. The fate of the country is [at stake] over the next couple of years."
FLASHBACK: BANNON WILL NOT TESTIFY AT TRIAL
Candidate Harriet Hageman and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (Fox News Channel; AP/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)
Bannon pointed to the historical double-standard in prosecuting cases of contempt of Congress – which themselves are rare.
He noted how the past two cases involved Democrats who were ultimately either exonerated or never charged: then-Attorney General Eric Holder over the Fast & Furious gun-running scandal – and ex-IRS employee Lois Lerner during the revenuer's targeting of conservative and grassroots groups.
The last prosecution of a contempt of Congress citation was against the late G. Gordon Liddy, who was connected to President Richard Nixon, a Republican.
Bannon called on all Americans to stay in "the fight" for equal protection under the law, which he and Carlson said he was denied. Carlson noted that equal protection is counter to selective prosecution – which he suggested Bannon to be a subject of in this case.
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Rep. Elanie Luria, D-Va., and GOP Challenger State Sen. Jennifer A. Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach. (Tom Williams/Jen Kiggans NRCC)
In that way, he said Jan 6 Committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney must be defeated in August's Wyoming Republican primary. Her chief opponent, attorney Harriet Hageman, currently leads Cheney by 20 points in recent polls.
Bannon also said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., the committee member who led Thursday's hearing, must also be defeated in his hometown of Norfolk.
Luria faces State Sen. Jennifer Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, in November, in a district that leans Republican by 3 points according to Cook PVI.
If Luria and enough key House Democrats lose in November, Bannon continued, Republicans must govern with purpose, and create similar committees – but include minority voices unlike the current panel, he added – and take the fight to the "elite" left.
"Every committee in the House has to be an oversight committee," he said, adding a "real" January 6 committee led by Republicans would focus on the shooting of Ashli Babbitt by Lt. Michael Byrd, and the files of committee staff, and focus on those who have gone on television to "defame people."
"I would tell the January 6 [Committee] staff right now: Preserve your documents because there's going to be a real committee. And this is going to be backed by Republican grassroots voters and MAGA to say we want to get to the bottom of this for the good of the nation," Bannon continued.
"Republicans have to have the stones to put on a real hearing."