Thread by @JFHaughey58

Day 2 of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s trial begins soon in the E. Perryman Bartlett U.S. District Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on two criminal contempt of Congress charges for failing to comply with subpoenas from the House January 6 investigation panel. #BannonTrial

Dozens of prospective jurors were interviewed Monday and the pool whittled to 22 candidates. Tuesday’s proceedings begin with a peremptory elimination round. Prosecutors, defense each allotted three “peremptories” to trim jury to 14 with two as alternatives. #BannonTrial

During pretrial hearings last week, presiding U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols dismissed several angles that Bannon’s attorneys wanted to argue, essentially winnowing the case down to whether he purposely ignored the subpoena deadlines. #BannonTrial.

Attorney Evan Corcoran has requested a month extension in starting Bannon trial after hour of debate regarding Oct. 8, 2021 correspndence between former Bannon attorney Robert Costello and the House Jan. 6 committee about an Oct. 18 deadline to comply with subpoenas. #BannonTrial

Judge Nichols has paused the proceedings the ponder the proposal, spurred by prosecutors request to include an Oct. 8, 2021 letter from committee chair US Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss) and Costello. #BannonTrial

Nichols has denied Corcoran's request for a month stay in beginning #BannonTrial but is amenable to delaying the proceedings for a day so Bannon can respond to the entry of correspondence between his attorneys and the Jan. 6 committee.

Nichols has adjourned proceedings until 1 p.m. so Bannon and his attorneys can deliberate on what proffers he can make should the Oct. 8, 2021, and other correspondence be introduced. #BannonTrial

Court in the #BannonTrial to convene at 1 pm with both parties expected to submit to Nichols ideas on how to proceed if several letters, including an Oct. 8 notice from the House Jan. 6 committee to Bannon’s attorneys, are entered as evidence in his contempt-of-Congress case.

Nichols adjourned proceedings at 11 am. The discussion was about redacting much of the letters' content that reference Bannon’s dismissed claims of executive privilege. Defense objected because Nichols ruled it can’t use executive privilege claims as a defense. #BannonTrial

Nichols has ruled, with no objections from Bannon's attorneys or prosecutors, to allow the Oct. 8 letter from the Jan. 6 committee and the Oct. 19 default notice, in their entirety. #BannonTrial

Bannon's attorney Evan Corcoran told Nichols the defense would not object because with the letters being “admitted wholesale, not retail," it would allow them to expand their defense into what Bannon thought about executive privilege. #BannonTrial

The "wholesale" entry allows Bannon "to make some kind of proffer," Corcoran said, "which we are not prepared to do" right now but could do if provided extra time. #BannonTrial

Both sides have each issued their three peremptory strikes, reducing the pool to 16. Now they are conferring on the two wildcard strikes (I just made that up) to get panel down to 14. #BannonTrial

The goal is to get to 14 jurors who will be seated. When the case is turned over to the jury, two will be informed that they were designated as alternatives right from the start -- in this underway proceeding -- and sent home. #BannonTrial

Nichols' plan is to select jury, send them home for the day to return tomorrow. Then there will be another blur muddy back-and-forth about the letters. There will be "discussion this afternoon of what we were discussing today," he said. It's like chewing on cement. #BannonTrial

Among prospects extracted by prosecutors is #1913 who planned to care for her New Jersey grandmother, and #1913, a former paralegal. Prosecutors objected when Corcoran asked if she could consider if"Mr. Bannon did not have to appear on the subpoena date?"

Among those removed by Bannon's team is Juror 257, the wallpaper salesman who said he’d never heard of Bannon, never heard of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, or pretty much anything about anything. Also send home: Juror 1117, an assistant to an arts festival director. #BannonTrial