Welcome to the beat. We are reporting this breaking news in the trial of Steve Bannon.

Trump White House veterans Steve Bannon found guilty today on both counts. This is the first Trump aide convicted in connection to the January 6 probe. It is big legal news.

It is the first conviction of anyone for defying the House

January 6 committee as well. And we have experts about to join us who were inside the courtroom.

This is a major deal. Prosecutors basically made and won their case that Bannon hid

insurrection evidence by refusing to show up

or testify or provide any documents requested under that lawful subpoena.

Mr. Bannon now faces up to two years in prison in a precedent-making victory for the Justice Department

and the House probe.

We have a lot to get to tonight in a lot of angles,

but this is one of those stories where we go right in with the breaking news to the people who

know it best. Former federal prosecutor John Flannery has dealt with exactly these kind of

criminal cases and been counseled to three congressional committees, which is, of course,

how these particular charges began.

Politico legal reporter Josh Gerstein, known for many scoops, has been covering this story.

He is outside the courthouse.

We begin with you, Josh.

Tell us how this news came down and what it means.

Well, Ari, good to see you.

The deliberations were very short in this case. The trial, too, pretty short in terms of actual evidence to the jury, just two witnesses. One person from the House January 6th Select Committee that's running the hearings that have been underway for the last few weeks and very briefly one FBI agent. The jury deliberated less than three hours, really around two and a half hours, including lunch, and came back with these two guilty verdicts, one for refusing to show up and testify, and one for refusing to bring the committee the documents that it had requested.

So, you know, the defense here just didn't go over very well with the jury, such as it was, didn't seem like it took them very long to dispose of it.

Yeah, you say it didn't take them long. This would seem to affirm, Josh, what DOJ's entire

...