Steve Bannon trial under way after he defied January 6 congressional subpoena

House committee investigating January 6 insurrection says adviser spoke to Donald Trump at least twice before day of assault on Capitol

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon is to go on trial for defying a congressional subpoena related to the investigation into the January 6, 2021, insurrection. AP

Jury selection was completed on Monday in the trial of Steve Bannon, a former presidential adviser to Donald Trump, for defying a congressional subpoena in relation to the investigation of the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

Mr Bannon was indicted in November on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress, one month after the US House of Representatives voted to have him charged for defying his subpoena to appear before the January 6 committee.

A 22-person jury was selected on Monday to hear the case.

The panel will be cut down to 12 jurors and two alternates on Tuesday, and opening arguments will begin in what is expected to be a quick trial.

Much of the questioning of potential jurors by Mr Bannon’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, centred on how much of the January 6 hearings they had watched and whether they had opinions about the committee and its work.

In one case, a prospective juror flatly told US District Judge Carl Nichols that remaining impartial would be “a challenge” for him because, “I do believe he [Bannon] is guilty.”

That admission disqualified the potential juror and prompted questioning of others who sat next to him to determine how widely he had shared his opinion.

The trial follows a week of furious activity from Mr Bannon's camp, in which he agreed to testify before the House committee during a public hearing.

“Mr Bannon is willing to, and indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing,” said a letter from his lawyer Robert Costello to the committee's chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson.

Mr Trump, who has attacked the committee in the past, said he would waive executive privilege so Mr Bannon could testify.

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington. AFP

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have already spoken to January 6 investigators. Whether they will appear in primetime is yet to be determined. Reuters

Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for former president Donald Trump, gives a press conference in the car park of the Four Seasons landscaping company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after Joe Biden was declared as winner of the 2020 presidential election, which he claimed was false. As a result of these claims, Mr Giuliani can no longer practice law in the state of New York. EPA

Donald Trump meets Clint Hickman, vice chairman of Arizona's 4th District, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr Hickman said that he refused to take calls from the White House and Mr Trump, who he said was trying to overturn the battleground state's results. AP

Four days before the Capitol riot, Donald Trump placed a call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and asked the official to 'find' 11,780 votes to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state. The House committee investigators have already interviewed election officials in the state. AP

Ruby Freeman was an employee of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 2020 presidential election. After the state went to Joe Biden, Donald Trump accused Ms Freeman of stealing ballots in a call with Brad Raffensperger, who told Mr Trump that he was being misled by claims on social media. Reuters

Kimberly Guilfoyle, engaged to Donald Trump's son, boasted to a Republican operative that she had raised $3 million for the rally that helped fuel the January 6 Capitol riot. She may be called to testify. AFP

Kash Patel, chief of staff to former acting secretary of defence Christopher Miller, gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee on December 9, 2021. Members of the committee and staff members had been meeting with Mr Patel and 'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander. Getty Images / AFP

The Willard Hotel in Washington played home to a 'war room' set up by advisers of Donald Trump and has become the focus of the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack. AFP

Former White House chief strategist in the Trump administration Steven Bannon leaves a federal courthouse in Washington after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress. EPA

Roger Stone, a former adviser and confidant of Donald Trump, gave a deposition before the committee in which he repeatedly pled the Fifth Amendment when questioned. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson was chosen by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to lead the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the US Capitol. Getty Images / AFP

Bennie Thompson meets Liz Cheney, vice-chair of the select committee, Adam Kinzinger and Jamie Raskin on Capitol Hill. The committee voted unanimously to recommend contempt of Congress charges for former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark for defying his subpoena, refusing to answer questions and failing to hand over documents to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Liz Cheney, committee chairman Bennie Thompson and other members of the committee speak to reporters after meeting with Nancy Pelosi. Reuters

Republican Scott Perry of Pennsylvania helped promote theories that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, resulting in millions of tax dollars spent on recounts in the state. Election workers there were also threatened with violence. Reuters

Lawyer John Eastman spoke with Donald Trump's personal legal representative Rudy Giuliani at the January 6 'Stop the Steal' rally in Washington. During the melee, Mr Eastman emailed Greg Jacobs, aid to vice president at the time Mike Pence, to say that it was Mr Pence's fault that the riot was taking place because he refused to block the election's certification results. Reuters

Before Mike Pence could certify the Electoral College votes before Congress, the last step in the process before Joe Biden was to be sworn in, rioters breached the US Capitol. Outside the chamber doors, a person was shot and police officers were beaten and trampled as some rioters yelled: 'Hang Mike Pence!' EPA

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said he has no intention of complying with a subpoena to appear before the committee and missed a scheduled deposition. Committee members voted unanimously to pursue criminal contempt charges against Mr Meadows for refusing to give evidence. AFP

In a legal setback, a federal appeals court ruled against Donald Trump, demanding he turn over White House records to the committee. AP

Fox News host Sean Hannity sent text messages to the White House during the January 6 insurrection. AP

The Oath Keepers is a US militia group that recruits former members of the military and law enforcement, with many participating in the January 6 attack. The committee has sent a subpoena to its founder, Stewart Rhoades, and several members have been arrested. AP

The select committee subpoenaed Enrique Tarrio, naming him as leader of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that responded to Donald Trump’s call to descend on Washington and which played a central role in the attack on the Capitol. EPA

US Olympic swimmer Klete Keller can be seen, with arms extended and wearing a blue kerchief covering his face, during the attack on the US Capitol. He pled guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and is co-operating with the committee. AFP

House select committee member Liz Cheney told CNN that a witness said Donald Trump's daughter and former White House adviser, Ivanka Trump, pleaded with her father to put a stop to the violence that took place on January 6. Getty Images / AFP

On January 9, 2021, Twitter banned Donald Trump after he tweeted his support for the rioters. Reuters

'Stop the Steal' organiser Ali Alexander gave a deposition on Capitol Hill to the committee. Getty Images / AFP

Stephanie Grisham, former White House Press Secretary under former US president Donald Trump, leaves the O'Neill House office building following a meeting with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Reuters

John Eastman, a lawyer for former president Donald Trump, possibly broke legal and ethical rules relating to the 2020 election. AP

Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman, admitted to speaking with Donald Trump on January 6 but refuses to speak with the committee. Reuters

The House committee has said that Mr Bannon did not have executive privilege, noting he was not a White House official at the time of the January 6 attack.

US District Judge Carl Nichols ruled that Mr Bannon could not use executive privilege as a defence in his case.

And Mr Bannon failed to persuade a US judge to delay his trial, for which he said the committee's public hearings would make it more difficult to have an impartial jury.

The panel last week provided evidence that he spoke to Mr Trump at least twice before the day of the assault on the Capitol.

The committee also played a clip of Mr Bannon saying “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow” on a right-wing talk show that day.

He made those comments after his first call with Mr Trump, the committee said.

On Thursday the committee could wrap up what may be its final public hearing, to be aired in prime time, that members said would show the former president's “dereliction of duty” on January 6.

News agencies contributed to this report