Pirro told court dropping Bannon case was ‘in interests of justice’
Steve Bannon’s conviction for refusing to testify before the congressional Jan. 6 committee will remain on the books for now. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on Wednesday declined the Justice Department’s request to drop the case, ruling that federal prosecutors had not provided the explanation required to dismiss the indictment.
The judge stopped short of foreclosing further government action. Nichols said the government remains free to refile its dismissal request in a manner that follows the law, leaving the door open for prosecutors to renew their effort with a more complete justification.
The ruling stems from a February court filing by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a Trump appointee who leads the Washington-based U.S. Attorney’s Office. Pirro told the court that her office had determined “in its prosecutorial discretion” that dismissing Bannon’s criminal case was “in the interests of justice.” Pirro did not elaborate on that assessment.
The case has already wound through the federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court, acting at prosecutors’ request, threw out an appellate ruling that had upheld Bannon’s conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Capitol riot. The high court’s action returned the case to the lower courts for further proceedings.