DOJ moves to dismiss Steve Bannon contempt of Congress conviction

The Justice Department moved Monday to vacate Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress conviction, a rare request that serves to undo yet another element of the Biden-era investigation and prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro requested that Bannon’s case be dismissed in district court in Washington, DC. This impeachment will vacate Bannon’s conviction, although the former Trump adviser and War Room podcast host has already completed his prison sentence.

Bannon was convicted by a jury in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress and spent four months in prison for refusing to comply with a subpoena issued to him by the Jan. 6 select committee, a Democrat-led House panel tasked with investigating the events leading up to the 2021 Capitol attack.

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Bannon had fought the subpoena, arguing the committee violated executive privilege because it sought details about the Jan. 6 rally and his interactions with President Donald Trump before the breach. In court, Bannon also argued that the committee, led by seven Democrats and two Republicans, was improperly detained.

Pirro has said little about the Justice Department’s move to vacate Bannon’s conviction even though his sentence has already been served.

“The government has determined that it is in the interests of justice to dismiss this criminal case at the discretion of the prosecution,” Pirro wrote in his brief request. he wrote.

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Jeanine Pirro, US Attorney for Washington DC, speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington DC on February 6, 2026 (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Bannon continued to appeal his conviction and has a petition pending before the Supreme Court. In parallel with Pirro’s request for dismissal, Attorney General John Sauer asked the high court on Tuesday to accept Bannon’s petition.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that Bannon’s conviction resulted from “improper subpoenas by the J6 ‘De-Choice’ Committee” and attributed the dismissal to the Justice Department’s efforts to correct what was perceived to be an abuse of power during the Biden administration.

Steve Bannon waves to members of the media as he leaves federal court in Washington, DC, on Monday, November 15, 2021. (Craig Hudson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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“Under Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, this Department will continue to dismantle the previous administration’s weaponization of the justice system,” Blanche said.

The Justice Department did not make a similar request for Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, who faced defamation charges related to Jan. 6 and spent four months in prison. Navarro He posted a statement on social media saying he wanted to continue fighting the conviction in court and “pass good laws” on the issue.