Steve Bannon Ordered to Prison for Defying Subpoena in Capitol Insurrection Probe

Steve Bannon, former Trump advisor, has been ordered to begin his four-month prison term by July 1 for defying a subpoena related to the U.S. Capitol insurrection investigation. Bannon's appeals were rejected, and his defense argued the charges were politically motivated and based on flawed legal advice.

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, is mandated to report to prison by July 1 to commence his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection, a federal judge ruled on Thursday.

US District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington acceded to prosecutors' request, compelling Bannon to start his prison term after a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court upheld his contempt of Congress conviction last month. However, Nichols noted that Bannon could petition for a stay of his order, potentially delaying his surrender date.

Nichols, appointed to the bench by Trump, had initially allowed Bannon to remain free while appealing his conviction. Nevertheless, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit panel found all of Bannon's challenges to be lacking in merit.

In 2022, Bannon was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan 6 House Committee and another for failing to provide relevant documents pertaining to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Bannon's trial lawyer contended that the charges were politically motivated and that Bannon had not ignored the subpoena but was engaged in good-faith negotiations with the congressional committee at the time of indictment.

The defense claimed Bannon had been acting on his attorney’s advice, who deemed the subpoena invalid on the grounds that the committee did not permit a Trump lawyer's presence, rendering Bannon unable to ascertain what documents or testimony he was permitted to provide due to Trump’s asserted executive privilege.

Defence lawyer David Schoen informed the judge that they planned to seek review from the full US Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, if required. Schoen argued it would be unjust to imprison Bannon now, as he might complete his sentence before these rulings are issued.

“That might serve a political agenda; but it would be a grave injustice,” Schoen stated in court documents.

Another Trump aide, trade advisor Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress and began his four-month sentence in March. Navarro had argued executive privilege invoked by Trump, a claim courts dismissed due to insufficient proof.

The House Jan. 6 committee's final report alleged that Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the 2020 election results and failed to act against the insurrection, concluding their extensive 18-month investigation into Trump and the Capitol attack.