Trial of Trump ally Steve Bannon begins

Jury selection began on Monday in the trial of former White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon was an adviser to former US President Donald Trump.

Bannon faces charges of criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with investigations into the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

What are the charges against Bannon?

Bannon is charged with defying a subpoena from the House's January 6 committee that sought his records and testimony.

He was indicted in November on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. Each count carries a minimum sentence of 30 days of jail and a maximum sentence of a year.

Over a week ago, Bannon said he was now willing to testify. Bannon had previously argued that his testimony is protected by Trump's claim of executive privilege. His lawyer said Bannon agreed to testify after Trump waived his claim of executive privilege.

Executive privilege is the right of members of the executive branch of the US government to withhold information from courts.

Trump has used the claim to try to block witness testimony and the release of White House documents. In January, the Supreme Court ruled against the former president's efforts to stop the National Archives from cooperating with the House committee.

Who is Steve Bannon?

Bannon, who has likened himself to Darth Vader in interviews, served as the executive chairman of nationalist media organization Breitbart between 2012 and 2016.

The former investment banker for Goldman Sachs was a key adviser in the 2016 campaign that led Trump to the presidency.

In 2020, Bannon was charged with defrauding the public in an effort to raise private funds to build the US-Mexico border wall. Bannon later received a presidential pardon from Trump.

sdi/dj (AP, AFP)