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House holds Bannon in contempt, seeks prosecution

"The yeas are 229. The nays are 202. The resolution is adopted."

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to approve contempt-of-Congress charges against long-time Trump ally, Steve Bannon for refusing to cooperate with a probe into the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bannon could now face criminal prosecution- U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will make the final decision.

Bannon has refused to comply with subpoenas from the Jan. 6 Select Committee seeking documents and his testimony, citing Trump's insistence disputed by some legal scholars that his communications are protected by the legal doctrine of executive privilege.

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Nine Republicans joined Democrats to recommend the charges against Bannon.

Democrat Adam Schiff said no one is above the law.

“Either we are all equal before the law, or none of us is. This is the essence of our democracy… This is not some theoretical matter. We were here. We heard the doors breaking. The glass shattering. The cries from outside the chamber, and we saw the bloody results.”

The select committee argued that Bannon had made statements suggesting he knew ahead of time about "extreme events" that would take place on Jan. 6, when Congress was scheduled to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.

Most of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress opposed creating either an independent commission or a select committee to investigate the attack. Republican Jim Jordan blasted the probe from the house floor.

“Now Steve Bannon. Mr. Bannon is a target of the investigation because, quote ‘His efforts to plan political activity’ – that’s the standard. You’re involved in political activity, they’re going to investigate you. We know what this is really about. This is about getting at president Trump.”

The Democratic-led panel hopes the threat of jail time - contempt of Congress carries a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine - encourages cooperation from the 18 other Trump aides and rally organizers who also have been subpoenaed.

As for Bannon, Attorney General Garland has yet to indicate how the DOJ will respond.