Supreme Court Delivers INJUSTICE!

0:00It's time for Justice Matters, with former Federal Prosecutor and Legal Analyst Glenn Kirschner. The Supreme Court has paved the way for Steve Bannon's conviction to be thrown out. Glenn has the details next on Justice Matters. One million downloads. That's the listenership that good news for lefties has gotten since we started bringing you positive news stories for Progressives every day of the week. These may be difficult times, and the headlines may seem bleak. But if you believe in Justice, Progress, and Democracy, you are not alone. There are millions like you. And there is reason for hope in the news every single day. That's what we remind you on good news for lefties and America. Every day of the week, positive news stories for Progressive listeners. Because no matter how disturbing the headlines might be, there's always hope that we can build on for a better tomorrow.

1:10One million downloads. And more coming. Good news for lefties and America. Listen on this platform at goodnewsforlefties.com or wherever podcasts are heard. Hey all, Glenn Kirschner here. Okay friends, let's start with a quick recap, even though we all know this story way too well. Donald Trump's associate, Steve Bannon, committed the crime of contempt of Congress, actually committed two counts of contempt of Congress. When he intentionally defied congressional subpoenas, just ignored them, violated them. One subpoena for testimony. And one subpoena for documents. So Congress could fully investigate what Steve Bannon knew about Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the results of a presidential election.

2:12Donald Trump's attempt to try to steal an election from the American people that he lost. Steve Bannon just refused to comply with those two lawfully issued subpoenas. So what happened? Well his crimes were investigated. A grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress. He went to trial. A trial jury convicted him of those two crimes, contempt of Congress. He was sentenced to prison by a Trump appointed judge. He served his prison term for months in prison. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals then looked at the case because he appealed his convictions and they affirmed it unanimously. Solidifying the fact that these were righteous convictions for crimes, Steve Bannon committed. And then what happened?

3:13Janine Piro, Donald Trump's hack United States Attorney for the District of Columbia filed a motion to dismiss his conviction. Long after it was done, long after his sentence had been served, Janine Piro decided she was going to try to use the power of the Department of Justice to just throw it out. And now yesterday the Supreme Court did Steve Bannon a solid. Let's start with the new reporting, this from the Hill. Supreme Court paves way for dismissal of Steve Bannon contempt of Congress case. And that article begins. The Supreme Court on Monday sent long time President Trump ally Steve Bannon's contempt of Congress case his convictions back to a lower court where a judge is expected to dismiss it.

4:18The justice is declined to hear arguments in Bannon's appeal of his 2022 conviction for evading a subpoena from the House Committee that investigated the January 6th 2021 Capitol attack. Instead granting his petition only to vacate a lower court's holding and kick the case back there. A federal jury in Washington DC found Bannon guilty of both charges after he failed to appear for a deposition ordered by the January 6th Committee and refused to turn over subpoena documents. Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison and the time was served in 2024. And friends, why did the Supreme Court do Steve Bannon that solid? Well, because Donald Trump's justice department in February moved to dismiss the two count indictment prosecutors filed against Bannon nearly five years ago, meaning the case likely will be dismissed upon its return to the lower court erasing the conviction.

5:33Coming up after the break, Glenn reads Jeanine Piro's motion to dismiss Steve Bannon's conviction. This is Justice Maddox. When Donald Trump was inaugurated like all presidents he sworn oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Instead, Donald Trump has decided to swerve, deflect, and upend the Constitution and treat it like it terms and conditions page. I'm Professor Corey Brechneider. And I'm deeply unqualified comedian John Fiegelstein. We'd like to invite you to listen to the oath in the office podcast where every week we interpret the Constitution and hold Trump accountable to his oath. It's a podcast that offers real insight on how to take action against tyranny and mayhem because despair is not a strategy. We'll hold him to his pledge despite his threats to democracy and the law itself. It's a podcast that's all about hope for what a real democracy should look like from an esteemed respected constitutional scholar and a deeply neurotic comedian who thought the emoluments clause was a breakfast item.

6:39Subscribe to the oath in the office where every week we talk about how citizens can preserve our democracy and fight back against the threat to democracy. Subscribe to the oath in the office on Apple Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Why in the world did Donald Trump's DOJ and his United States attorney for the District of Columbia, Janine Puro, try to dismiss a case, throw a case out after it had concluded. Why in the world would they now try to get rid of this case after it was investigated?

7:42It was presented to the grand jury, the grand jurors sitting as the conscience of the community concluded there was enough evidence to indict Steve Bannon for two crimes, two counts of contempt of Congress. After it moved from the grand jury into federal court in a case presided over by a Trump appointed judge and that judge denied all of Steve Bannon's motions to dismiss the case prior to trial. And then a trial jury heard the evidence 12 people sitting in a wooden box as the conscience of the community and that jury convicted him in a DC minute. And then the judge sentenced Steve Bannon to four months in prison and then he served that four month prison term. Why in the world would Trump's DOJ Janine Puro now seek to dismiss the case against Steve Bannon? Well, the good news is Janine filed the motion to dismiss and we can look at it together because I'm sure friends you're thinking there must have been some dramatic change in the law or there must have been newly discovered evidence or maybe there was new precedent handed down that undermined Steve Bannon's convictions.

9:04Well, let's look at Janine Puro's motion to dismiss together governments unopposed motion to dismiss indictment pursuant to federal rule of criminal procedure 48 a the United States of America by and through the United States attorney for the District of Columbia respectfully moves this court to dismiss with prejudice the above caption case against defendant Stephen K Bannon. The government meaning DOJ Janine Puro has determined in its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice signed Janine Puro United States attorney. Oh, I guess that settles it then right after an investigation of Bannon's crimes was conducted after a grand jury indicted Steve Bannon for the crimes he committed after a trial judge refused to grant motions to dismiss the charges against Steve Bannon after a trial jury convicted Steve Bannon and after an appeals court affirmed that conviction.

10:17Janine Puro says, you know, it's all just so unjust and she moves to dismiss the case in the interests of justice. Well, you know, friends, it is a searing injustice and we all know it. But it's not the first time Donald Trump has done a searingly unjust favor for his friends Steve Bannon. Remember this one, friends, this from USA today. Trump has pardoned Steve Bannon before. At the end of his first term as president, Trump pardoned Bannon as he was awaiting trial in New York for a different case. Fraud charges tied to a border wall fundraising effort. Bannon was one of four people accused in 2020 of defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors in the We Build the Wall go fund me crowdfunding campaign to finance one of Trump's signature goals.

11:30And friends, I hate to say this, but we probably haven't even gotten to the worst part yet because you know what this paves the way for a big fat payday for Steve Bannon. Just as Mike Flynn before him pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI pleaded guilty not once but twice in open court under oath affirmed his guilt. And then later when Trump came back in the power, Mike Flynn said, whoa, wait, wait, I was wrongfully prosecuted. No, you weren't. You were being prosecuted for committing the crimes that you in fact committed and pleaded guilty to. But what did Donald Trump's dirty DOJ leadership do? They gave Mike Flynn $1.25 million of our taxpayer dollars in support of that bogus wrongful prosecution claim.

12:31And now here we go again. Steve Bannon will very likely get millions of our taxpayer dollars claiming that he was wrongfully prosecuted when he wasn't wrongfully prosecuted at all. Friends, there's no two ways about it. We are living in the legal upside down and there is no way to cushion the blow, right? The abject lawlessness, the corruption, the injustice of a criminal president 30 times over convicted felon and just abjectly corrupt DOJ leadership. All I can tell you friends is the way I deal with this and it's not easy for a career rule of law guy. I choose to let the injustice energize me, fuel me.

13:32You know, if you will let the injustice fuel you, you will have an unlimited supply of energy and determination from now until the end of time to make sure that, you know, we work night and day toward the midterms. We get out to the polls and numbers too big to rig and too real to steal. We vote the Republicans out. We vote the Dems in. And then the accountability mission begins first with impeachment and hopefully conviction in the Senate on the articles of impeachment and removal. And if not, there are oversight hearings and congressional subpoenas issued day and night until we take back the White House and the rule of law comes back into the light of day and then accountability scorched Earth accountability every single person who committed crimes against the American people gets investigated if the evidence supports indictments they get indicted and they get tried.

14:39That's what full accountability looks like. Not they all have to be in prison in orange jumpsuits. No, they all have to be aggressively investigated for their crimes. They have to be tried for their crimes and once you deliver the evidence to the capable hands of 12 citizens sitting in a wooden box in a courtroom as the conscience of the community, that is accountability and that is justice and I believe to my core that just as that New York jury convicted Donald Trump of 34 felony crimes in a New York minute every single one of today's criminal government officials will be held accountable by juries in the future. But we as the American people and the leadership of the department of justice when the rule of law comes back into the light of day has to have the will, the determination, the appetite to hold them all accountable, hold them all accountable.

15:43How about this time we try full accountability we've blown it in the past several times. Let's try accountability for a change because justice matters. Friends as always, please stay safe, please stay tuned and I look forward to talking with you all again tomorrow. You can watch Glenn on his YouTube channel also find him on substack, blue sky, Instagram and Patreon. This is Justice Matters.