TUCSON, Ariz., July 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) decries the political prosecution and conviction of conservative Steve Bannon. On July 22, a D.C. jury found Bannon guilty under 2 U.S.C. § 192 of contempt of Congress.
“Political prosecutions are what dictatorships do, and should never happen in the United States,” declared Andrew Schlafly, general counsel of AAPS. “Being a supporter and adviser to Donald Trump is not a crime.”
Steve Bannon as a private citizen was targeted by the House Select Committee while it was spending millions of dollars for more than a year targeting Trump supporters about protests on Jan 6, 2021, Schlafly notes. The Department of Justice (DOH) rejected a recommendation by this Democrat-controlled committee to prosecute former congressman Mark Meadows for the same charges as Bannon.
“When the Republican House voted that Democrat-appointed Eric Holder was in contempt of Congress, DOJ immediately announced its refusal to prosecute him,” Schlafly said. “Yet DOJ went after Steve Bannon, and he was prevented at trial from calling any of the House Democrats who initiated this against him.”
“This prosecution and conviction of Bannon are unprecedented,” Schlafly observed. “This prosecution merely advances the political goals of enemies of Donald Trump.”
During jury selection in Bannon’s case, many potential jurors expressed their political views against Bannon. They were excused from the jury, but the prevalence of their views in D.C. indicated that the trial should not have proceeded there, Schlafly states.
“D.C. is not a fair venue for a trial pitting Democrats in Congress against a critic of them. The incoming new Congress, predicted to be Republican, should change the law so that trials are held where the defendant resides, not where federal government employs so many.”
“The incoming House of Representatives should enact a resolution to pardon Steve Bannon on its first day in session in January,” stated Jane Orient, M.D., the executive director of AAPS.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) is a national organization representing physicians in all specialties since 1943. Its motto is omnia pro aegroto (everything for the patient).
Contact: Jane M. Orient, M.D., (520) 323-3110, janeorientmd@gmail.com or Andrew L. Schlafly, Esq., (908) 719-8608, aschlafly@aol.com
