Steve Bannon's legal team subpoenaed top House Democrats, members of the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, and their staffers last week, CNN reported.
The one-time chief adviser to former President Donald Trump signed off on the decision to build his defense against a Department of Justice indictment dating from last November.
Those charges included two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify and produce documents for the Jan. 6 committee.
But Bannon's new subpoena is an attempt to fight back after he pleaded not guilty. It targets 16 lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C..
All nine members of the select committee, three committee staffers and Douglas Letter, general counsel for the House of Representatives, are also included in Bannon's subpoena.
Former Deputy New York Attorney General Danya Perry told Axios that subpoenas to members of Congress and their staffers "are likely to be quashed swiftly" due to the shields for documents and testimony under the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause.
But two Democratic congressmen listed in the subpoenas — Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Adam Schiff of California — could be the exception. According to Perry, both have involved Bannon in marketing material for their books.
Raskin and Schiff "have a vested interest now, whether financial or reputational or personal, in ensuring that the committee's conclusions are consistent with their books. We can't have that kind of committee," Bannon lawyer David Schoen told the outlet.
Bannon is not the only Republican to challenge the legitimacy of the Jan. 6 select committee, according to CNN.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has refused to comply with his subpoena, claiming it is not legally valid. Meanwhile, former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro has been charged with the same counts as Bannon after refusing to comply with the committee.
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