THE TIGHTENING NOOSE:

After a two-and-a-half-hour hearing which Bannon elected not to attend, Nichols returned to the bench Monday afternoon to spend nearly an hour delivering oral rulings that left the defense case in tatters. Bannon's legal team appeared flummoxed by the result.

"What's the point in going to trial here if there are no defenses?" attorney David Schoen declared in court after Nichols wound up his rulings from the bench.

The judge's orders seem to ensure that a high-profile trial of one of Trump's closest allies in his effort to subvert the 2020 election will move forward at a rapid clip. The Justice Department has estimated it could put on the prosecution case in a single day. Bannon's team initially estimated it could take two weeks to air a defense, however, Nichols on Monday also cut off nearly every avenue of Bannon's proposed defenses, ruling them irrelevant to the alleged crime against him.

The judge picked apart Bannon's claim that his decision to stonewall the select committee in October was justified -- either due to his position as a former White House adviser to Trump or because of internal Justice Department memos describing limitations on congressional subpoenas.

Nichols said Bannon would not be permitted to argue that executive privilege excused his decision to completely defy the select committee subpoena. Nichols also rejected Bannon's effort to subpoena Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the Jan. 6 select committee.

Tweet   @brothersjudd