Steve Bannon Ordered to Report to Jail Following Donald Trump Ally’s Request Denied
Steve Bannon, a longtime associate of former President Donald Trump, is set to begin his prison sentence on Monday after his attempt to avoid incarceration was turned down.
Bannon was previously found guilty of defying a subpoena in the congressional probe into the 2021 US Capitol riot on January 6.
He sought emergency relief following a court order to report to jail by July 1 for a four-month term, a plea rejected by the Supreme Court without explanation, as per standard procedure.
His legal team contended that the case raised pertinent issues warranting Supreme Court review, including arguments that the subpoena was void due to former President Trump‘s assertion of executive privilege.
However, prosecutors rebutted stating that Bannon had left the White House years prior, and Trump had never cited executive privilege before the committee.
Nearly two years ago, a jury convicted Bannon on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the January 6 Committee and withholding documents related to his role in Trump’s endeavors to overturn the 2020 election results against Democrat Joe Biden.
Donald Trump talks to Bannon during a swearing-in ceremony for senior staff at the White House in 2017. Pic: Reuters
While Bannon was allowed to remain free pending his appeal by US District Judge Carl Nichols, he has now been ordered to commence his prison term following the affirmation of his contempt of Congress offenses by an appeals court panel.
Despite his impending sentence, Bannon plans to challenge his conviction in front of the full appeals court, with Republican House leaders advocating for intervention to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the January 6 committee and its subpoena to Bannon.
Additionally, Bannon faces criminal charges in a New York state court for allegedly deceiving donors who contributed to a border wall project along the US-Mexico border.
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Bannon has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy, fraud, among others, with his trial postponed till at least the end of September.
