Steve Bannon, center, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump and convicted of contempt of Congress, accompanied by his attorney Evan Corcoran, right, speaks to the media as he leaves the federal courthouse on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. Bannon was sentenced to 4 months behind bars for defying a Jan. 6 committee subpoena. WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, must report to prison by July 1 to serve hisU.S.
Nichols had initially allowed him to remain free while he fought his conviction because the judge believed the case raised substantial legal questions. But during a hearing in Washington’s federal court, Nichols said the calculus changed after the appeals court panel said all of Bannon’s challenges lack merit.Bannon can appeal his conviction to the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
The defense has said Bannon had been acting on the advice of his attorney at the time, who told him that the subpoena was invalid because the committee would not allow a Trump lawyer in the room and that Bannon could not determine what documents or testimony he could provide because Trump has asserted executive privilege.Defense lawyer David Schoen told the judge it would be unfair to send Bannon to prison now because he would complete his entire sentence before he exhausted his appeals.