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Steve Bannon Charged With Misdemeanor Domestic Violence, Battery and Witness Intimidation (1996); Case Dismissed

According to the police report, police photographed red marks on the woman's left wrist and the right side of her neck. The court issued a domestic violence protective order. The charges were dismissed without trial when the complaining witness did not appear; the police report recorded allegations that Bannon threatened her with retribution if she testified. Bannon's spokeswoman noted the dismissal.

Record summary

Grade

Outside the grading scale: Pre-Office Conduct

International crime

Pre-office conduct — outside the official-power scale

Conduct from before office: Donald Trump’s before the June 2015 campaign launch, and an administration official’s before their first appointment or between terms. Scale and definitions

Status
Concluded
Legal status
Charged
Before Office
Steve Bannon (all before-office records)
Incident date
Record updated
Location
Santa Monica, California
Category
Civil Rights
Legal posture
Judicial finding
Verification
Cross-referenced
Sources
2 cited
Stable ID
steve-bannon-1996-domestic-violence-charges
Posture note
Misdemeanor charges in Los Angeles Municipal Court (1996); not-guilty plea; dismissed in August 1996 when the complaining witness did not appear for trial, per a Santa Monica city statement reported by the Los Angeles Times. No adjudication.
Alleged responsible parties
  • Steve Bannon, Private individual

Key points

  • On New Year's Day 1996 police received a 911 call from the Santa Monica home that went dead; the responding officer reported red marks on the woman's wrist and neck
  • Bannon was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and witness intimidation, and the court issued a domestic violence protective order, according to a Santa Monica city statement
  • Bannon pleaded not guilty; the case was dismissed in August 1996 when his then-wife did not appear for trial
  • NPR, citing the New York Times account of the police report, noted allegations that he threatened her with retribution if she testified

What happened

According to a Santa Monica police report described by the Los Angeles Times, on New Year's Day 1996 Steve Bannon's then-wife told police that during an argument he grabbed her wrist and neck and, when she said she was calling 911, grabbed the phone and threw it across the room. The report said police photographed "red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck."

  • Charges: Misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and witness intimidation (reported by NPR as "dissuading" a witness), filed in Los Angeles Municipal Court in 1996. The court issued a domestic violence protective order.
  • Outcome: Bannon pleaded not guilty. The case was dismissed in August 1996 when the complaining witness did not appear for trial, according to a Santa Monica city statement reported by the Los Angeles Times. There was no trial and no finding of guilt.
  • Bannon's spokeswoman declined to discuss the specific allegations but noted the charges were dismissed.

Sources

  • Michael Finnegan et al., "Domestic violence allegations from 1996 surface against chief of Donald Trump's campaign," Los Angeles Times, August 26, 2016.
  • Domenico Montanaro, "Trump Campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon Was Charged With Domestic Violence In 1996," NPR, August 26, 2016.

Update log

  1. Added for the Before Office record. Bannon first joined the administration as White House Chief Strategist on January 20, 2017.

Sequence of events

  1. Police called to the home

    Santa Monica police respond to a dropped 911 call and record the woman's account and visible marks.

  2. Case dismissed

    In August 1996 the charges are dismissed when the complaining witness does not appear for trial (the source gives the month, not the day).

Sources

  1. Domestic violence allegations from 1996 surface against chief of Donald Trump's campaign — Los Angeles Times
  2. Trump Campaign CEO Stephen K. Bannon Was Charged With Domestic Violence In 1996 — NPR

How this record was published

Manually curated This entry was added directly and does not carry an automated audit trail.

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