Steve Bannon announced he would turn his contempt indictment into a political crusade. He called it an attack on his followers, not a test of whether subpoenas matter.
This isn’t defiance for principle. It’s marketing. A man indicted for contempt is selling himself as a martyr to raise money and build influence.
The danger isn’t his rhetoric. It’s whether the system responds with consequence. If contempt becomes a fundraising gimmick, subpoenas are worthless. If enforcement drags, others will follow his lead. The risk is not just one man grandstanding — it’s the collapse of congressional oversight itself.