Steve Bannon released from prison and quickly records podcast to claim Democrats will try to steal election

Steve Bannon, the former film producer and Trump strategist turned popular right-wing podcaster, was released from federal prison earlier today after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.

Bannon was found guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress when he refused to comply with a subpoena issued by the committee on January 6. After exhausting his appeals, he reported to a federal correctional facility in Danbury, CT in July.

After his release, Bannon gave an interview to The New York Times before recording his podcast, War room.

“The four months in federal prison didn’t break me, it empowered me,” Bannon said on the podcast. “I’m more focused and more energized than I’ve ever been in my entire life, and I can clearly see just like in 2016 and 2020 what’s going on here and what we have to do to defeat it.”

Bannon referred to himself as a “political prisoner” and blamed Nancy Pelosi for his prosecution. After he refused to comply with the subpoena, the House voted to refer a recommendation of contempt of Congress to the Justice Department. He was prosecuted and convicted after a trial and sentenced in 2022.

Bannon was one of the most prominent media figures to spread Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Today, Bannon urged listeners on the podcast to “crush” Democrats at the polls next week, telling them, “We’ve got to put this beyond their ability to steal it.”

He also warned listeners about Democrats’ legal challenges after the Nov. 5 election, saying, “Every day after the evening of Nov. 5 will be Stalingrad.”

“If they can’t take it from Trump, if they can’t shape it right there, they will at least de-legitimize his victory,” Bannon said.