Defiant Trump advisor says he has already testified more than anyone and stands with the ex-President and the Constitution

  • Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon declined to speak in his own trial
  • His attorneys wrapped their case without presenting a defense to jurors
  • Closing arguments are set to come on Friday, with jury deliberation afterwards
  • Outside of the courthouse, Bannon insisted that he has testified more than any other Trump aides because of the Trump-Russia investigation
  • It comes after just two days of trial testimony, with prosecution witnesses including an FBI agent and counsel for the January 6 committee 

Steve Bannon’s legal team is resting its case on Thursday after the former Donald Trump adviser refused to testify in his own defense for criminal contempt of Congress charges.

As he left a Washington, DC court on the summer afternoon, Bannon told reporters that he had testified more than any other Trump aide when factoring time spent speaking to investigators who looked at Russia’s potential links to the Trump 2016 campaign and efforts to influence the election.

He parted ways with the press with the message, ‘One last thing: I stand with Trump and the Constitution.’

Bannon’s lawyers called no witnesses on his behalf, and District Judge Carl Nichols dismissed the 14 men and women who make up the jury a short while later.

One female juror was dismissed due to a noncontagious medical issue, according to the Washington Post.

That means Friday will bring closing arguments, jury instruction and deliberations – and potentially a speedy verdict.

He’d previously promised to make his criminal trial the ‘misdemeanor from hell’ for the Justice Department.

‘Of any person in the Trump administration, Stephen K. Bannon has testified, what, 30 hours in front of the Mueller commission, I think 20 hours in front of Schiff in the House Intelligence commission- House Intelligence Committee,’ Bannon told reporters Thursday.

‘I think over 50 hours of testimony. Every time, the exact same way…every time, every single time, more than anybody else in the Trump administration…Stephen K. Bannon testified.’

Attorney David Schoen told Nichols that no defense would be presented to the jury after the jury spent two days hearing from the House January 6 committee’s general counsel, Kristin Amerling as well as an FBI agent.

‘You are not intending to put on any evidence to the jury?’ Nichols asked, according to the Daily Beast.

Schoen replied, ‘Correct. We’re not putting on a defense case.’

The right-wing activist and podcast host is on trial for two misdemeanor counts of criminal contempt because he defied the committee’s subpoena in fall 2021.

Lawmakers wanted to obtain documents from Bannon as well as hear about Trump’s alleged efforts to stay in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

Both of the prosecution’s witnesses testified that Bannon did not turn over the requested documents nor did he hand over the documents requested.

Bannon’s lawyers attempted to pin them on who exactly was responsible for sending his subpoena in an apparent effort to accuse Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson of political motivations.

Evan Corcoran, another member of Bannon’s legal team, had asked the jury during his opening argument: ‘Is this piece of evidence affected by politics?’

And the defense has insisted that Bannon never willfully ignored the subpoena.