Trump ally Steve Bannon begins prison term for contempt

[July 02, 2024]  By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Steve Bannon, an influential Donald Trump ally, reported to prison on Monday to serve a four-month sentence after he was convicted for defying a congressional subpoena from the committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.

A defiant Bannon arrived at a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, and spoke to reporters and a cheering group of supporters. He called himself a "political prisoner" and said his right-wing populist followers would spread his message while he served his sentence.

"I'm proud of going to prison today," Bannon said. "I have not only no regrets, I'm proud of what I did."

After addressing the cameras, Bannon entered a dark-colored SUV that turned into the prison complex.

Former President Trump is the Republican candidate challenging Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election. The sentence could keep Bannon imprisoned almost to Election Day. Inmates in federal prison do not have access to the internet or social media, making it difficult for Bannon to communicate with fans of his "War Room" podcast.

Bannon on Friday lost a last-ditch effort to stay out of prison when the Supreme Court rejected his request to delay his sentence while he exhausts the appeals process for his conviction.

He was sentenced to four months after being convicted in 2022 of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress. He was charged after he refused to turn over documents or testify to a Democratic-led House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol riot by Trump supporters who had sought to prevent congressional certification of Biden's 2020 election win.

Steve Bannon, former top adviser to Donald Trump, greets supporters as he arrives to speak with media before he reports to prison at the U.S. federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, U.S., July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

Bannon was a key adviser to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, then served as his chief White House strategist during 2017 before a falling-out between them that was later patched up. He also has played an instrumental role in right-wing media.

He initially was allowed to delay starting his prison term while he appealed his conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The D.C. Circuit ultimately upheld his conviction, prompting U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols to order Bannon to report to prison.

Bannon will not be the first former top official from Trump's White House to go to prison for refusing to cooperate with the committee. Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, reported to prison in March after being given a four-month sentence. The Supreme Court declined Navarro's request to remain free during his appeal.

Trump in 2021 pardoned Bannon on federal criminal charges accusing him of swindling Trump supporters involving an effort to raise private funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to state charges regarding the border wall fundraising and is awaiting trial.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Will Dunham, Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)

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