Republican congressman on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Rep. Adam Kinzinger says he hopes Stephen Bannon’s indictment for not complying with a subpoena from the committee sends a “chilling message.”
Bannon was indicted on Friday on two charges of contempt of Congress for failing to appear for a deposition before the panel and for refusing to provide documents.
“It sends a really important message to future invited witnesses, future folks that are subpoenaed. You cannot ignore Congress, Kinzinger told CNN on Friday. “The reality is, you may not like it — you may not like the investigation. You may think nothing wrong was done, but you’re not going to be able to avoid it.”
“So, this is certainly a good thing, and I hope it sends a chilling message to anybody else who was going to follow through like this,” he added.
Bannon’s indictment came hours after former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows refused to appear for his deposition before the committee earlier on Friday.
Bannon and other witnesses who fail to appear claim to be taking directions from former President Donald Trump, who said he would exert executive privilege over the committee’s move. The committee has largely rejected Trump’s arguments on executive privilege, arguing that President Biden currently holds that authority, The Hill noted.
