The Daily Fuckup

The House voted Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress, approving a resolution by a 229-202 margin and setting up a referral to the U.S. attorney in Washington for possible prosecution. The resolution says Bannon failed to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack and directs the Speaker to certify the committee’s report to federal prosecutors. ([congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/730/text))

Bannon, a former Trump White House strategist, had been ordered to produce documents and appear for a deposition before the committee. Instead, he did not comply, prompting lawmakers to advance the contempt process on the House floor. The vote made the dispute a formal legal matter under federal contempt-of-Congress procedures rather than just a fight over whether he would cooperate voluntarily. ([congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/730/text))

The committee and its supporters framed the refusal as an obstacle to a broader inquiry into the pressure campaign surrounding the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol. The resolution itself is narrower than the larger politics around it: it covers Bannon’s failure to honor the subpoena and sends the matter to prosecutors. What happens next depends on the Justice Department, not the House vote alone. ([congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-resolution/730/text))