Justice Department casts doubt on Bannon's willingness to testify before Jan. 6 committee

Washington — The Justice Department on Monday cast doubt on Steve Bannon's newfound willingness to testify before the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, calling his about-face on cooperating with the panel an "attempt to change the optics" days before his trial on charges of criminal contempt of Congress is set to begin.

In a filing with the federal district court in Washington, federal prosecutors said Bannon's "last-minute efforts" to appear months after he defied a subpoena from the select committee for testimony and documents are "irrelevant" to whether he refused to comply with House investigators' demand in the fall of 2021.

"His continued failure to comply with the subpoena's document demand while claiming he now will testify suggests his actions are little more than an attempt to change the optics of his contempt on the eve of trial, not an actual effort at compliance," Justice Department lawyers told the court.