Steve Bannon, an ally of Donald Trump, has been ordered to report to prison to begin his contempt sentence

June 6, 2024 TruthUSA

According to a judge, Steve Bannon, a long-time ally of Donald Trump, has been ordered to report to prison by 1 July to begin serving a four-month sentence.

Bannon was found guilty of contempt in 2022 for refusing to cooperate with a committee investigating the Capitol riots, and for failing to provide documents regarding his involvement in Trump’s attempts to overturn the election.

Despite the ruling, Bannon expressed his determination to fight it, stating outside the court, “I have excellent legal representation, and we are prepared to take this all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.”

Formerly an adviser to Trump during his initial election campaign, Bannon later served as chief strategist in the White House before resigning in August 2017.

Last Thursday, federal judge Carl Nichols granted the Justice Department’s request for Bannon to begin his sentence.

Judge Nichols, who was appointed by Trump, initially allowed Bannon to remain free while he appealed the conviction.

However, following a recent appeals court decision that upheld the conviction, prosecutors persuaded the judge to revoke Bannon’s bond.

During his 2022 trial, Bannon’s lawyer argued that the charges were politically motivated, denied that Bannon had ignored the subpoena to testify, and claimed that Bannon was still in negotiations with the congressional committee at the time he was charged.

David Schoen, Bannon’s lawyer in the current case, argued to the judge that it would not be just to incarcerate him now, as he would have completed his sentence before exhausting all legal avenues for appeal.

Schoen emphasized that the case raised significant constitutional issues that should be reviewed by the Supreme Court.

“In this country, we don’t send individuals to prison when they believe they were acting within the boundaries of the law,” Schoen told reporters.

Another former Trump aide, trade adviser Peter Navarro, began serving a four-month sentence for contempt in March.

Navarro claimed that he was unable to cooperate with the congressional committee due to Trump’s invocation of executive privilege as president, which left him uncertain about the documents and testimonies he could provide.

He also cited this as a reason for his lack of cooperation.

However, courts dismissed Navarro’s argument, stating that he failed to prove Trump had indeed invoked executive privilege.

The final report on the Capitol attack of 6 January 2021 concluded that Trump conspired to overturn the election and did not prevent his supporters from storming the building.

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