Washington, D.C. – A federal judge has ordered Steve Bannon, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, to report to prison by July 1 to begin serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington granted the Justice Department’s request for Bannon to start his prison term following a recent appeals court decision upholding his contempt of Congress conviction. Bannon, known for his combative stance, is expected to challenge the judge’s ruling and seek a delay in surrendering.
Bannon, who has vowed to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary, expressed defiance against the legal proceedings, stating, “There’s not a prison built or jail built that will ever shut me up.” Meanwhile, former President Trump criticized the prosecutors handling Bannon’s case, suggesting that Republicans are unfairly targeted by a politically motivated justice system. Trump’s accusations come in the wake of his own legal troubles, including a recent conviction on numerous felony charges related to hush money payments.
Nichols, the judge presiding over Bannon’s case, was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2018. Bannon’s conviction dates back almost two years when he was found guilty of contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 House Committee’s investigation and withholding documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results.
Despite initial legal challenges that allowed Bannon to remain free pending appeal, the judge deemed that all of Bannon’s arguments lacked merit after the appeals court ruling. Bannon now has the option to appeal his conviction further, but prosecutors believe it’s unlikely he will succeed in overturning the ruling.
Bannon’s defense has maintained that he was in good-faith negotiations with the congressional committee and followed the advice of his attorney, who claimed the subpoena was invalid due to restrictions by the committee. His lawyer argued that sending Bannon to prison before exhausting all legal avenues would raise serious constitutional concerns that merit review by the Supreme Court.
In a similar case, another Trump aide, Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and began serving his sentence earlier this year. The House Jan. 6 committee’s extensive investigation concluded that Trump was involved in a conspiracy to overturn the election results and failed to prevent the Capitol insurrection. Bannon is also facing separate criminal charges in New York related to an alleged fraud scheme involving a fundraising campaign to build a border wall.
Despite the legal challenges ahead, Bannon remains resolute in his fight against the legal system, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle that could have far-reaching implications for the ongoing investigations into the events surrounding the U.S. Capitol insurrection.