On his way out of the courtroom after being found guilty on both counts of criminal contempt of Congress, Bannon again blasted members of the Jan. 6 committee for not appearing as witnesses at his trial.

"I only have one disappointment, and that is the gutless members of that show-trial committee, that [Jan. 6] committee, didn't have the guts to come down here and testify," Bannon said.

"We may have lost a battle here today, but we're not going to lose this war," he said. "[The jury] came to their conclusion about what was put on in the in that courtroom. But listen, in the closing argument, the prosecutor missed one very important phrase, right? 'I stand with Trump and the Constitution, and I will never back off that, ever.'"

Bannon's attorney David Schoen said that Bannon's defense team will appeal the case, saying, "This is just Round One."

"This is a bulletproof appeal," Schoen said. "Have you ever in another case seen a judge six times in the case [say] that he thinks the standard for willfulness is wrong?"

"You'll see this case reversed on appeal," Schoen said.

Schoen also criticized the prosecution's argument regarding executive privilege.

"They argued to the jury today that when a person gets a subpoena, and executive privilege is invoked, it's for Congress to decide whether the executive privilege is valid and how broad it is," said Schoen. "That's absolutely false."

"When a former president or a current president invokes executive privilege, it's presumptively valid," said Schoen. "It's not for Congress to decide that is not valid."

"All [the prosecution] had to prove was that he didn't show up," Schoen said. "That can't be the standard in a case, especially in a case that holds the potential for a jail sentence."

"The overreaching by the government in this case has been extraordinary on every level," Schoen said. "Shame on this office of the United States Attorney's Office and the Department of Justice for how far it went in this case."

-Laura Romero and Soo Rin Kim

Steve Bannon has been found guilty on both counts of criminal contempt of Congress.

Count 1 is for failing to appear for a deposition in October 2021, and carries a maximum sentence of one year behind bars.

Count 2 is for refusing to provide records by the October 2021 deadline. It also carries a maximum one-year sentence.

The jury in the contempt trial of Steve Bannon has reached a verdict.

It comes roughly three hours after jury members left the courtroom to begin deliberations.

The contempt case against Steve Bannon is now in the jury's hands, after the government finished its rebuttal to the defense's closing argument.

Prosecutor Amanda Vaughn began the rebuttal by telling the jury, "The defendant wants to make this hard, difficult, and confusing. They want you to wonder, 'What am I missing?'"

"You're not missing anything," Vaughn said. "There were two witnesses because it's as simple as it seems ... as clear as black and white" on paper, she said.

She said Bannon did tell the committee he would not comply with the subpoena, but "that is not a negotiation." She said the committee repeatedly told Bannon that it rejected his claims and that he had to comply, but Bannon is now defending his actions by saying he had raised objections at the time.

"That is like a child continuing to argue with their parent after they've been grounded. They know they've been grounded, they can argue all they want; it doesn't change the fact that the decision has been made," she said. In this case, she said, the committee made the decision and has the authority to do so.

"This is not a mistake," Vaughn said of Bannon's actions. "It's a choice, it is contempt, and it is a crime."

She then pushed back on the defense's argument that Bannon's noncompliance can't be "willful" because the committee didn't pursue other options or take the matter to a court, as if the committee "had some sort of obligation" to go to court and "get their permission," she said.

"That's like saying the referee on a soccer field can't make calls on plays unless they go over to the baseball diamond next door and get the umpire's opinion first," Vaughn said. "The committee doesn't answer to former President Trump" -- it's a different branch of government, she said.

As for Bannon's recent "no harm, no foul" argument that he is now willing to testify publicly after Trump sent a letter saying he would waive executive privilege, Vaughn said, "That's not what the evidence in this case shows."

"That sudden decision to comply is nothing but a ploy. And it's not even a good one, because the defendant forgot to tell the committee he would supply them with documents," Vaughn said. Bannon is "pretending to comply now," she said, and "it's a waste of everyone's time."

"The committee told the defendant many times that defiance is a crime, but he didn't listen because he didn't care. He had contempt for them and the public service they're trying to perform," Vaughn said.

"He is guilty," she concluded.

At the conclusion of closing arguments, the judge released the one alternate juror remaining, leaving the 12 jurors to begin deliberations.

Bannon defense attorney David Schoen read a statement to Judge Carl Nichols explaining why Bannon is not testifying in his own defense, before the judge brought the jury back in to announce the court was in recess until Friday.

Schoen said that Bannon understands he has a right to testify "and has very much wanted to do so" since his indictment -- specifically wanting to testify publicly about what "the true facts of the case are," Schoen said.

"However, on the advice of counsel and support of the team, he has decided not to testify because he understands he would be barred from telling the true facts of what he did and did not do with regard to the subpoena he was issued," Schoen said. "He believed he was doing what the law required him to do based on his lawyer's advice."

Schoen told the judge that Bannon's attorney at the time, Robert Costello, had told Bannon that "executive privilege had been invoked and he was not permitted by law to comply with the subpoena. Mr. Bannon followed and relied on the advice of his experienced counsel," and on previous memos written by the Justice Department, Schoen said.

After Schoen made those remarks, the judge turned to Bannon and asked: "Mr. Bannon, have you conferred with counsel, and do you knowingly and intentionally waive your right to testify?"

"Uh, yes your honor," Bannon responded. It was the first time Bannon has spoken during the trial.

Before Nichols sent the jury home, he reminded them, "Do not read about this case, do not read or watch TV or videos about this matter or related matters, through the end of deliberations."

He issued the reminder after prosecutor Amanda Vaugh raised concerns about the jury's potential exposure to the live televised hearing that the Jan. 6 committee is holding in prime time tonight.