As she neared the end of her lockdown, prosecutor Molly Gaston described Steve Bannon’s behavior as a betrayal of his duties as a citizen, saying he had “contempt” for the government and for following its rules.
“The defendant chose loyalty to Donald Trump over compliance with the law,” Gaston said.
Earlier in the comments, she discussed the elements of the crime and pointed to the evidence the government presented that she said they were all pleased with. She emphasized that Bannon’s compliance was not a mistake, noting that any person who misunderstood or inadvertently followed the subpoena’s directions “would have kept his mouth shut” when the commission notified him of the subpoena. the contempt resolution.
“His belief that he had an excuse for disobeying doesn’t matter, that’s not a defense against contempt,” she said.
She told the jury that they “shouldn’t kick it” if Bannon’s lawyers tried to argue that the subpoena terms were not tight.
“Mr. Corcoran tried to tell you that this case is about politics,” she said, telling the jury that it was Bannon who was trying to make this case about politics and that he was doing it to “distract you.”
She praised the jury for their service, saying, “We are all participants in shared democracy, but the defendant disagrees.
“He has disdain for our system of government and he doesn’t think he has to play by the rules,” Gaston said. “The defendant chose to resist, judge him guilty,” she said.
