BREAKING: The Post Millennial announces exclusive podcast series 'The Trial of Steve Bannon' with Viva Frei

The Post Millennial announces the development of a new collaboration with attorney and YouTuber Viva Frei, who will be covering the trial of Steven K. Bannon exclusively for The Post Millennial. This Post Millennial exclusive series will feature Frei breaking down each facet of the trial from jury selection through judgment. Frei has previewed the coming trial on his channel.

"If you had any lingering doubts from the acquittal of Michael Sussman, despite all incontrovertible evidence, the kabuki theatre trial of Steve Bannon will leave little doubt: we live in a world of parallel legal systems, where justice —and injustice— is doled out on the basis of political ideology," Frei said in anticipation of the trial, which begins in Washington, DC on Monday.

Bannon faces charges of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena that was issued by the January 6 Committee in September 2021, which was looking to uncover communications between Bannon and former President Donald Trump in the lead up to and surrounding the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. It is the committee's contention that Trump incited a riot and they are looking at communications of nearly everyone who was close to the President at the time. Close associates of Trump have had their homes searched and their devices seized over the past few months.

Bannon's refusal to comply with the subpoena was due to the former president having invoked executive privilege, saying that their communications were protected. The committee refused to grant that, and found him in contempt of Congress in October 2021. In November, Bannon surrendered to the FBI.

Last weekend, Trump issued a letter to Bannon stating that he was free to testify before the committee, and Bannon's attorneys, in turn, submitted the information of Bannon's willingness to appear to the committee. However, the committee declined to withdraw charges, stating that the contempt charges had already been assessed and that though Bannon may now be willing to testify, that doesn't change his past refusal.

Bannon's attorney's submitted a request for a delay of trial, stating that in the limited time given "It would be impossible to guarantee Mr. Bannon a fair trial in the middle of much-publicized Select Committee hearings which purport to broadcast investigative 'findings' on topics that are referenced in the indictment."

Judge Carl Nichols denied that request, and further rejected Bannon's request to subpoena records and testimony from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and members of the January 6 Committee, chaired by Bennie Thompson. Nichols said that Bannon also would be prevented from introducing evidence that other of Trump's aides were not charged with contempt.

Nichols also limited additional defenses, saying that Bannon would not be permitted to challenge the make-up of the committee itself, nor state that the DOJ was countermanding its own policies by launching the charges against him. Bannon is also not permitted to state that he acted on the advice of his attorneys in refusing to comply with the subpoena to appear.

"What's the point of going to trial here if there are no defenses?" asked David Schoen, Bannon's attorney, after the hearing denying Bannon's ability to defend himself on any other grounds than that he had perhaps misunderstood the date by which he was required to comply.

Viva Frei, or David Freiheit, is a Canadian lawyer who earned his degree from the University of Laval and began practicing in 2007. In 2018, he left the practice and began devoting himself to creating commentary videos on his YouTube channel. He has taken on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, slamming his outright bans on firearms, defended the Canadian truckers' Freedom Convoy, and taking intense issue with Canada's draconian, far reaching vaccine mandates.