Welcome to the Beat. I'm Ari Melburgh, and this is the story we're tracking tonight, opening arguments in the Justice Department's criminal case against Steve Bannon.

And on a busy week in Congress, we are joined live tonight by two heavyweights, Senator Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, and one of the lawmakers in this scene arrested while protesting for women's rights.

Ilhan Omar is here. So we have some significant

guests for you here on the big stories. We begin right now with new steps, though, in this

insurrection probe, Bannon on trial for hiding evidence from this committee, while an aid

to indicted Trump advisor Peter Navarro is breaking with the Navarro Bannon approach and is

cooperating and testifying today to the committee as it readies its final primetime hearing featuring a rarity in the Trump administration,

people who actually quit in protest over his actions.

Americans will hear directly from Trump spokesperson Sarah Matthews at the Thursday hearing.

She quit on the day of January 6, reiterating, support for a peaceful

transfer of power. Another witness slated to speak out, high-ranking Deputy National Security

Advisor Matthew Pottinger, who had the same concern. And Wall, as we've discussed, most Trump aides

just quietly served till the last day he had in office and then later offered these

tardy self-serving accounts only when compelled by subpoena. We should note the committee will be

choosing to end its presentation here to the public with these counter examples. Pottingers

described his disgust and how in the middle of the violence, Trump not only failed to protect Congress,

but doubled down on the vigilanteism that put Mike Pence in danger.

One of my staff brought me a printout of a tweet by the president,

and the tweet said something to the fact that Mike Pence, a tweet by the president.

And the tweet said something to the fact that Mike Pence, the vice president, didn't have the courage to do what he, what should have been done.

I read that tweet and made a decision at that moment to resign. That's where I knew that I was

leaving that day once I read that tweet. Once read that tweet, what you see here was sent out,

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