Friday, a federal jury found former Trump strategist Steve Bannon guilty of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before legislators investigating the attack on the United States Capitol.

Bannon, who directed Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was one of the hundreds of individuals summoned by a House of Representatives committee to handle the January 6, 2021, storming Congress by Trump supporters.

The 68-year-old Republican strategist was charged with two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to appear on the summons date or submit requested papers.

After less than three hours of deliberation, the 12-person jury found Bannon guilty of both misdemeanor offenses.

Bannon, who served as Trump's White House chief strategist before being fired in 2017, faces a least 30 days and a maximum of one year in prison for each count.

The sentencing date is October 21.

Bannon told reporters following the verdict, "We may have lost the battle here today, but we will not lose the war."

I support President Trump and the Constitution.

Politically inspired

The head and vice chair of the House committee, Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, praised the finding, stating that "no one is above the law."

"The conviction of Steve Bannon is a victory for the rule of law and an important affirmation of the Select Committee's work," they said in a statement.

"Just as there must be accountability for all those responsible for the events of January 6th, anyone who obstructs our investigation into these matters should face consequences."

Amanda Vaughn presented the government's evidence before the jury and stated that Bannon made a "deliberate decision" not to comply with the subpoena.

During the brief trial, neither Bannon nor his counsel presented any witnesses, nor did he testify in his defense.

Evan Corcoran, Bannon's attorney, claimed that his client had disregarded the subpoena, stating that the date was "the subject of ongoing discussions and negotiation" and was "flexible."

Corcoran stated that the decision to hold Bannon in contempt was politically motivated.

Vaughn stated that the House committee suspected that Bannon and other Trump aides might know about the White House's ties to the Capitol riots.

"Declining to testify."

According to the committee, Bannon met with Trump the day before tens of thousands of his followers stormed Congress to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.

In a loud address near the White House, during which he repeated his phony claims of electoral fraud, Trump had incited them.

After months of refusing to testify, Bannon finally agreed to help with the House probe, a move prosecutors deemed a "last-ditch attempt to avoid accountability."