(PresidentialInsider.com)- Back in February during President Trump’s second impeachment trial, podcaster Steve Bannon didn’t think very much of Trump’s lead defense attorney David Schoen.
On the February 2 broadcast of his War Room podcast, Bannon scoffed at Schoen’s opening comments saying they “missed the mark,” adding that now “we are in a terrible situation.” Bannon argued that “you gotta bring the heat,” saying Schoen can’t “go in there like the absent-minded professor.”
Strangely, Bannon also complained about David Schoen’s beard. Only Schoen didn’t have a beard, so it’s unclear why the beardless Schoen’s beard would have bothered Bannon so much.
Now Bannon’s words of criticism against Schoen are gaining newfound attention because, over the weekend, Steve Bannon hired none other than David Schoen to defend him in his Contempt of Congress case.
After the news broke, John Whitehouse of the leftist media watchdog group Media Matters, posted a video clip from Bannon’s February 2 broadcast in which he made his negative comments about Schoen:
Steve Bannon has reportedly retained Trump lawyer (from the second impeachment) David Schoen as his attorney. Bannon railed against him at the time. pic.twitter.com/victeaLs6n
— John Whitehouse+ (@existentialfish) November 15, 2021
Bannon must have had a change of heart now that he’s facing criminal charges.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that a federal grand jury indicted Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena for testimony and documents from the January 6 select committee. In his refusal, Bannon cited President Trump’s claim of executive privilege.
Bannon surrendered to federal authorities on Monday and was taken into custody. He then made his initial appearance at the US District Court Monday afternoon and was released on his own recognizance.
The conditions of Bannon’s release require him to notify the court if he travels domestically outside the Washington DC area. He surrendered his passport and is not permitted to travel outside the US without approval from the court.
Bannon is expected to appear in court again on Thursday.
Speaking with reporters outside of the courthouse on Monday, Bannon vowed to fight the charges, saying he is “taking on this illegitimate Biden regime.” He urged his supporters not to get taken off message by the “noise up here.”
If convicted, Bannon could face between 30 days and a year in prison for each charge, as well as up to $100,000 in fines.
