(PatriotWise.com) — Oral arguments in the appeal of podcaster Steve Bannon’s conviction for contempt of Congress will begin later this week, Newsweek reported.
On November 4, 2022, Bannon filed formal notice that he would appeal his July 2022 conviction on two counts of contempt of Congress for which he was sentenced in October last year to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine.
The judge deferred Bannon’s sentence while he appealed the case.
Bannon was initially scheduled to appear before the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last month, but in September, the Justice Department requested a delay of oral arguments, and Bannon’s legal team consented to the delay.
During oral arguments on November 9, the prosecution and defense will be given ten minutes to make their case to a 3-judge panel.
Bannon’s attorney, David Schoen, told Newsweek that regardless of how anyone might feel about Steve Bannon, the public should be hoping his conviction is overturned.
Schoen explained that holding someone criminally culpable without first determining if he acted in a way he believed was illegal is “a very dangerous proposition.”
Schoen said that during last year’s trial, prosecutors convinced the judge that Bannon could be convicted solely for refusing to comply with the Congressional subpoena to testify before the January 6 select committee.
He said that while prosecutors argued that Bannon’s reasons for not complying did not matter, they told the jury that Bannon refused to comply because he believed he was “above the law” when they knew that wasn’t the case.
The judges scheduled to hear oral arguments are Obama appointee Cornelia Pillard, Trump appointee Justin Walker, and Biden appointee Bradley Garcia.
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