Will Bannon stand his ground with no consequences?

As the House Committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 US Capitol attack was expected to hold a crucial meeting on Tuesday night to set up a House vote, it looked like Steve Bannon was going to become a sacrificial lamb.

Bannon, one of former president Donald Trump’s closes allies was expected to be held in contempt of Congress as the criminal contempt report was expected to move, without any opposition from committee members, to the floor. The movement would mark a critical mile- stone in the investigation and serve as a warning, the panel hoped, to other Trump-aligned witnesses. The warning was clear: Cooperate or face the possibility of jail time.

Being held in contempt of Congress is rarely invoked and it rarely leads to jail time, but those found liable are guilty of a crime that could result in a fine and between one month to one year in jail.

Does Bannon actually stand to face jail time? Of course, the answer is yes, if he is found in contempt of Congress, however, it seems like the committee is more interested in making an example out of Bannon than it is in actually putting him in jail or fining him.

“As severe as a criminal contempt referral sounds, the House’s choice to use the Justice Department may be more of a warning shot than a solution,” a CNN Politics report said. “Holding Bannon in criminal contempt through a prosecution could take years, and historically, criminal contempt cases have been derailed by appeals and acquittals.”

So far, Bannon has refused to comply with his subpoena and submitted an argument for his actions. However, the committee, on Friday, sent him a letter rejecting that argument and his claim of executive privilege.

He previously claimed that he could not cooperate with the committee until courts resolved matters of executive privilege. However, the response from the committee, on Friday, made clear that the panel believes he’s willfully refusing to comply with the subpoena and that violates federal law.

Despite the threats and consequences, it seems that neither Bannon nor Trump will cooperate and illustrates how this is more a battle of will than anything else.