OnPolitics: Steve Bannon surrenders to the feds
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It’s a new week, OnPolitics readers, and President Joe Biden is celebrating a much-needed victory today.
Biden signed into law a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure package Monday, an integral component of his domestic agenda and the largest investment in the country’s infrastructure in decades.
The bill, priced at $1.2 trillion, will tackle nearly every facet of American infrastructure, including public transportation, roads, bridges, ports, railways, power grids, broadband internet, as well as water and sewage systems.
That’s not the only thing on Democrats' minds: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol will have to wait to see Donald Trump's White House documents detailing whom the president met and called Jan. 6 as a mob attacked the Capitol, information that could be crucial to a congressional investigation into that day.
Among the 136 pages of documents that were set to be released Friday by the National Archives and Records Administration are 39 pages that Trump claimed should remain confidential under executive privilege.
It’s Amy and Mabinty, with the day’s top news.
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Know who’s not having the best Monday? Steve Bannon
Bannon, former President Donald Trump’s political strategist, surrendered to federal authorities Monday after his indictment on contempt charges for defying a House subpoena seeking documents and testimony as part of an escalating congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
"I'm telling you right now, this is going to be the misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden," Bannon told reporters following a brief court appearance where he was released without bond pending trial.
The flamboyant stalwart of former President Donald Trump, with his arm slung around defense attorney David Schoen, referred to the attorney general and two Democrats as part of a political effort to punish former Trump's allies.
Bannon's court appearance marked the first public reading of the charges against him: two related counts for defying a House subpoena seeking documents and testimony as part of an escalating congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Each charge carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, along with a maximum fine of $100,000.
Why this matters: Attorney General Merrick Garland's decision to pursue the Bannon case represents a serious escalation of the House panel's investigation and an important test for the Biden Justice Department and Garland, who has vowed to separate politics from a department roiled by the repeated interventions of Trump.
Other Trump acolytes could be next. In a joint statement issued shortly after the Bannon charges were announced Friday, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., signaled that other witnesses, including former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, risk the same fate for defying committee subpoenas.
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O'Rourke 2022: Beto O'Rourke, former Democratic state congressman and 2020 presidential candidate, announced his bid for Texas governor against Republican incumbent Greg Abbott on Monday.
A 'game-changer'? As Biden signs his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law, states and cities are dusting off grant proposals and assigning staff to prepare for a historic windfall of funding.
On their own: As the Equality Act languishes in the Senate, despite support from the majority of Americans, LGBTQ advocates said they don’t have a choice but to try to create safe places for their community on their own.
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After 8 terms, Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont set to retire in 2022
Sen. Patrick Leahy, the influential Vermont Democrat and Senate's president pro tempore, announced Monday that he will retire from the Senate after this term in Congress.
"Marcelle and I have reached the conclusion it is time to put down the gavel," Leahy said in announcing his retirement. "It is time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter who will carry on this work for a great state. It's time to come home."
Leahy, 81, is the chair of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee and the most senior lawmaker on the both the Judiciary and Agriculture committees. He has served in the Senate for nearly 50 years.
The battle for 2022 begins: Leahy's retirement opens the field for a fierce primary in Vermont, a New England state known for its progressive yet idiosyncratic politics.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, had already endorsed Leahy for reelection in 2022 before Leahy announced his retirement. A broadly popular governor, Scott will now be eyed by both parties as a top contender to replace Leahy, potentially shifting control of the upper chamber.
Today is #AmericaRecyclesDay ♻️! Don’t forget to reduce, reuse and recycle as the nation works together to protect the environment. — Amy and Mabinty
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Steve Bannon surrenders to federal authorities after contempt charges
