Justice Department seeks to dismiss Steve Bannon’s Capitol riot contempt case
- - Justice Department seeks to dismiss Steve Bannon’s Capitol riot contempt case
Devan Cole, CNNFebruary 10, 2026 at 1:21 AM
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Steve Bannon speaks during AmericaFest, the first Turning Point USA summit since the death of Charlie Kirk, in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 19. - Cheney Orr/Reuters/File
Federal prosecutors on Monday moved to drop a criminal case brought during the Biden administration against Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Donald Trump who was convicted years ago for thumbing his nose at lawmakers investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
In a request to the federal judge in Washington, DC, who oversaw Bannon’s trial, US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said “the government has determined in its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice.”
Pirro asked US District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, to dismiss the matter with prejudice, which, if granted, would mean prosecutors are barred from refiling the case.
CNN has reached out to Bannon’s attorneys for comment on prosecutors’ request.
Bannon already completed a four-month prison sentence in 2024, but he had continued to challenge his conviction, including by appealing to the Supreme Court, which hadn’t yet decided whether to review the case.
A jury in DC convicted Bannon of contempt of Congress in 2022 after he failed to provide documents and testimony to the House select committee that investigated the Capitol attack. A federal appeals court later upheld the conviction.
Bannon is one of two former members of Trump’s inner circle who were prosecuted for not participating in the House January 6 probe. The second, former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro, also served prison time for his 2023 conviction.
Bannon, a leading voice for the American alt-right, has returned to the spotlight in recent weeks after a new trove of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein included texts the two men exchanged. The records, released by the Justice Department and House Oversight Committee, reveal a close personal relationship — and show Epstein’s deep involvement in Bannon’s ambitions on the world stage.
CNN’s Steve Contorno contributed to this report.
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Source: “AOL Breaking”
