Furious Republicans condemn contempt vote against Bannon

‘Issuing an invalid subpoena weakens our power,’ Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says. Eric Garcia reports

(AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans raged against a House vote to hold former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress after he refused to provide evidence before the House select committee that is investigating the 6 January riot on Capitol Hill.

The select committee voted unanimously to hold Mr Bannon, a former adviser to former president Donald Trump and a podcast host, on Tuesday evening. The committee had initially issued a subpoena but Mr Bannon sent a letter to committee chairman Rep Bennie Thompson after attorneys for Mr Trump instructed him not to testify or provide evidence.

The House held a vote on Thursday, with all 220 Democrats voting in favour of contempt but only nine Republicans voting for it. Among them were Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Peter Meijer and Fred Upton of Michigan, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, John Katko of New York, Jamie Herrera Beutler of Washington, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.