The committee approved the measure unanimously on Tuesday and will now send it to the House floor for a full vote, which is expected this week.
Contempt of Congress charges can only be pursued by the Justice Department and can result in a penalty of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
Last week, Bannon refused to comply with a subpoena that required him to testify before the Select Committee and referenced the executive privilege rule in his defense. However, the committe sent a private letter to Bannon’s lawyer in which it refuted his arguments not to cooperate in the ongoing probe and threatened to hold him accountable for contempt of Congress.
On Monday, former US president Donald Trump sued the Select Committee for what he says are illegal requests to obtain White House records, saying the records have no connection to the events. Trump’s lawsuit points out that the FBI has found no evidence the event was part of an organized plot to overturn the 2020 election results nor that Trump and his associates were involved in any such exercise.