Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that Steve Bannon’s indictment will encourage others to cooperate with the House select committee’s investigation of the Jan.6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Without a doubt. And indeed, even before the Justice Department acted, it influenced other witnesses. … And now that witnesses see that if they don’t cooperate, if they don’t fulfill their lawful duty when subpoenaed, that they, too, may be prosecuted, it will have a very strong, focusing effect on their decision making,” Schiff told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“So, it’s very positive. I view this as an early test of whether our democracy was recovering. If our law is to mean anything, it has to be applied equally. And so, I’m very glad the Justice Department has moved forward in this fashion.”
Bannon, a former White House adviser to President Trump, was indicted by a federal jury on Friday after he failed to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 panel.
“Bannon did what he did because, for four years, that’s what worked,” Schiff, the chair of the House’s Intelligence Committee, said on Sunday.
“They could hold Republican Party conventions on the White House grounds. They could fire inspectors general, they could retaliate against whistleblowers. It was essentially a lawless presidency and they were proud of it. And yes, that ought to concern every American,” Schiff added.
“We need a reestablishment of the rule of law in this country and I’m glad to see that that’s happening.”