US lawmakers investigating the January 6 Capitol riot have unanimously supported holding a top aide of former President Donald Trump in contempt of Congress.
Steve Bannon was summoned to testify before the panel, but refused to do so.
If the full chamber approves the matter this Thursday, it would be referred to justice department, which has the final say on bringing charges.
If convicted, Bannon could face a fine and up to one year in prison.
Bannon – a former right-wing media executive who became Trump’s chief strategist – has not publicly commented on Tuesday’s vote in the nine-member House select committee.
All two Republicans and seven Democrats on the panel backed holding him in contempt.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and vice-chair of the committee, said Bannon had had “substantial advance knowledge of the plans” for the protest on 6 January and of Trump’s plans to discredit the presidential election result.
67-year-old Bannon was fired from the White House in 2017, and was not in government at the time of the riot.
Trump has urged former aides to reject the House committee’s requests, claiming the right to withhold information because of executive privilege – a legal principle that protects many White House communications.
On Monday, he filed a lawsuit seeking to block the House inquiry from obtaining records from the US National Archives.
President joe Biden’s administration says Trump has no legitimate privilege claim.
