Trump adviser surrenders to FBI
Steve Bannon, a longtime adviser to former US President Donald Trump, turned himself in to the FBI on Monday on criminal charges related to his refusal to investigate Capitol Hill in the Jan. 6 rioting.
On his arrival, surrounded by bodyguards in black, he made ominous comments about President Joe Biden.
"We're bringing down the Biden regime," Bannon told a gathering of reporters as he arrived at an FBI field office in Washington, while a protester behind him held up a placard reading "coup plotter."
On Friday, a federal grand jury indicted Bannon in contempt of Congress by refusing to testify before the House-elected committee to investigate the events surrounding the January 6 attack, and a second contempt for refusing to provide documents.
Bannon, the first to face criminal charges in a congressional inquiry, is expected to appear in federal court for the first time later Monday before Judge Robin Meriwether.
In statements directed to his supporters, Bannon looked directly at the camera, which was broadcasting a live broadcast of him on the social networking site "Geter".
"I want you guys to stay vigil... It's all fanfare," said the man, who was wearing an olive green coat over black clothes and accompanied by black-clad guards and masks.
The Justice Department said contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000.
Bannon is one of more than 30 Trump confidants who have been ordered by the House committee to testify about the lead-up to Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from formally certifying Trump's election loss to Biden.
Bannon, a prominent figure in right-wing media circles, was the architect of Trump's electoral victory in the 2016 presidential election and later served as chief strategist in the White House.
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