Steve Bannon, the openly racist former supporter of Donald Trump, is reportedly heading to jail. His bond was revoked and he has been ordered to report to prison by July 1.
Judge Carl Nichols made the order for Bannon to appear on Thursday as he considered whether to allow him to serve out the four-month sentence that was given to him months ago – a sentence that was delayed as Bannon appealed the ruling.
Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress after he failed to respond to a subpoena related to the investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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This event is one that the former president is accused of orchestrating in one of four criminal indictments he faces.
CBS News reported last month that prosecutors were pushing for the former White House chief strategist to be sent to prison immediately following a ruling by an appeals court denying the overturning of his criminal conviction. Bannon is fighting this move, arguing that Nichols doesn’t have the legal authority to impose a sentence, reports the Mirror US.
Bannon’s defence team is reportedly exploring other avenues through which they could appeal the ruling. Ultimately, a jury found the controversial figure guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a subpoena asking him to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot.
The committee reportedly wished to discuss Bannon’s conduct, specifically his communications with Trump as the former president attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which saw his rival, current President and Democrat Joe Biden, wrest the Oval Office from him.
Trump now faces two criminal indictments related to election fraud – the first deals with his alleged incitement of the Jan. 6 riot, while the second is based in Georgia and alleges that he carried out a scheme to overturn the results specifically in that state, which helped Joe Biden secure his victory that November.
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Bannon said he didn’t comply with the subpoena because of Trump’s executive privilege concerns, with his former lawyer reportedly advising him not to respond for that very reason as well. He was barred from telling the jury about the advice from his lawyer.
Nichols reportedly believed his sentence would be overturned easily, so he held out on imposing it, but it ultimately wasn’t overturned – the appeals court called him out on his claim that his former attorney told him not to respond to the subpoena, telling him that wasn’t a valid defense.
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Steve Bannon, the controversial former aide to Donald Trump, received a harsh rebuke from the law after his defense team contended in a Thursday hearing that Judge Nichols lacked the power to sentence him as it would cause irreparable and unjust harm. They hinted at potential devastation for Bannons reputation if their ongoing second appeal is a success and the initial judgment is reversed.
Despite these arguments, Bannon is set to begin his prison stint on July 1, serving time until November following a divisive episode in 2018 where he spurred members of France’s National Rally party to embrace accusations of racism as “a badge of honor,” as reported by ABC News.
Marking another entry in the saga of Trumps embattled associates, Bannon joins Peter Navarro, another ex-Trump advisor, who is currently serving a four-month term for snubbing a House Special Committee subpoena about the Capitol mayhem on January 6th.
Like Bannon, Navarro has pursued an appeal, yet his immediate sentencing was enforced by a judge and subsequently backed by higher courts, showcasing the judiciarys firm stance on penalizing contempt of Congress regardless of pending appeals.
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