Discuss

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says former President Trump called him last week in another push to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential results after the WI Supreme Court ruling on absentee ballot drop boxes. Shortly after, Vos says, Trump posted on social media calling him a RINO pic.twitter.com/rLFtYtHlh6

— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) July 19, 2022

Per GOP rep. in room - Rep. Chip Roy stood up in this morning’s RSC meeting with Pence and said “I just want to say thank you for defending our Constitution. I’m happy to shout it from Mar-A-Lago to Bedminster… but I just want you to know how grateful we are”

— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) July 20, 2022

Donald Trump is the gravest threat to democracy.

Steve Bannon suffers another trial defeat as judge strikes down 'political circus' https://t.co/2AiHHUQTn3

— Raw Story (@RawStory) July 20, 2022

"At the end of the back and forth between her and Bannon's team over what extent his attorney's questioning can suggest bias, US District Judge Carl Nichols stated a commitment to not allow the trial to become 'a political circus, a forum for partisan politics,'" CNN reported.

"After hearing more from Vaughn, Nichols set limits on questions about political bias: The defense may ask questions that may go to how a particular witness is biased, but not ask questions about how someone else was biased in action they took outside the courtroom," the report said.

Steve Bannon is the gravest threat to democracy.

Choose your fighter.

Meanwhile, a show of hands:  who knew about this?

For his part, Bannon has used press conferences on each day of the trial to rail against the House Jan. 6 Select Committee.

Haven't heard a word about that. Clearly Bannon is a deep stealth threat to democracy. Like 20 feet deep; and no one even knows he's down there, or hears a sound.

Unscientific Concluding Postscript:  Tales from the Trial

The refrain in her testimony is the most succinct encapsulation of the case prosecutors want to prove to the jury: that Bannon didn't turn over documents or appear for testimony by his prescribed deadlines.

Did the defendant produce documents by Oct. 7, the deadline given on the subpoena?

“He did not”

Did he ever ask for an extension?

“He did not.”

Did he ever say he didn't have documents?

“He did not.”

Amerling read the subpoena language that prescribes what Bannon should do if he couldn't meet the deadline.

“Did he at all follow this procedure?” Vaughn asked.

“He did not.”

And then this:

Having gone through the original set of demands issued by the committee, Amerling was asked to dissect the response Bannon’s attorney eventually sent – on Oct. 7, which was the deadline for document production – and the committee’s views on his reasons for not complying with the subpoena.

Amerling said that the committee was not accepting of Bannon’s attorney’s claim that Trump's assertions of executive privilege prevented Bannon from cooperating.

“The select committee’s position was this was not a valid rationale for refusing to comply,” Amerling said.

Her testimony covered an Oct. 8 letter sent to Bannon’s attorney from Chairman Bennie Thompson, in which Thompson rejected Bannon’s argument for non-compliance and said he risked being held in contempt by the House if he did not cooperate.

The letter, which was sent six days before the deposition deadline, also reiterated the committee’s expectation that he show up on Oct. 14 for testimony, according to Amerling.

The crux of the bisuit is Bannon's defense:  he thought he and the committee were still talking.  The employee of the committee who handled this matter says the committee though otherwise, and never indicated it agreed with Bannon's defense. (Bannon's remedy was to go to court on a motion to quash, raising executive privilege as the reason.)

I think Glenn Kirschner was right; Bannon's lawyers bounced a check with the jury.