The Memo: Democrats may rue pursuit of Bannon
By Niall Stanage - 11/16/21 06:16 PM EST
Democrats and other critics of former President Trump celebrated when criminal charges were leveled against Steve Bannon late last week.
But the political downside of the pursuit of Bannon is becoming clearer by the day.
There’s no guarantee that the underlying purpose of the prosecution — to compel Bannon to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection — will work.
Bannon may ultimately prefer the risk of a fairly short jail sentence, and the martyrdom it would confer on him from Trump supporters, over testifying.
Even if he were to cooperate, the question then becomes whether the public will learn anything more damning than it already knows about Bannon and his former boss.
After all, Bannon said on his podcast the day before the riot that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow.” And Trump’s central role in inciting the insurrection was so blatant that he became the first president in American history to be impeached twice.
Above all, the criminal case has given Bannon the biggest platform he has enjoyed in years.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/581859-the-memo-democrats-may-rue-pursuit-of-bannon
