House Minority Leader Kevin mcCarthy filed an amicus brief Thursday in the contempt of Congress case against Steve Bannon, arguing the Inquisition is exceeding its authority under the rules of the lower chamber.
Indeed, as previously reported by Human Events News, the House voted in October to hold Bannon in contempt after he refused to testify in front of the Inquisition.
Bannon is one of four ex-Trump officials to be held in contempt, along with Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro, the Daily Caller reports.
In a motion to dismiss filed in April, Bannon and his attorneys argue that his contempt charges are unlawful because the Inquisition violates the rules of the House due to its lack of a minority-appointed ranking member.
McCarthy’s brief supports that position, noting that Speaker Nancy Pelosi described an “‘unprecedented’ approach to forming the Select Committee.”
“It is therefore not at all extraordinary that the House failed to contemplate the possibility of less than thirteen (13) Members being appointed upon passage of Resolution 503,” which requires the inclusion of thirteen committee members, including five appointed by the minority, McCarthy’s brief argues.
McCarthy’s brief supports Bannon’s interpretation, noting the inconsistent descriptions of Liz Cheney’s role and arguing for the importance of minority representation.
“This distinction is not without a difference,” his lawyers write of Cheney’s position. “Minority leadership on any given committee ensures that deponents are afforded oversight of adherence to congressional rules, precedents, and established decorum.”
