Trump ally Steve Bannon is released after serving 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress

On By Littum

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) – Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from prison early Tuesday after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in a congressional investigation into the matter. US Capitol attack on 6 January 2021.

Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Kristie Breshears, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Prisons. He planned to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. He is also expected to resume his podcast on Tuesday.

Bannon, 70, reported to prison on July 1 after the Supreme Court rejected his bid to stay the prison sentence while he appeals his conviction.

A jury found Bannon guilty in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit before a House committee deposition on Jan. 6 and another for refusing to produce documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the presidential election in 2020 race.

When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon called himself a “political prisoner.”

“I’m proud to go to jail,” he said at the time, adding that he was running against Attorney General Merrick Garland and a “corrupt” Justice Department.

Trump, a Republican, is seeking to regain the presidency in next week’s election against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions in May. Bannon is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case. His legal team had argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump had claimed executive privilege. However, prosecutors say Bannon had left the White House years before and that Trump had never invoked executive privilege before the committee.

Bannon faces additional criminal charges in New York state court, where he alleges duped donors which provided money to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. A trial in that case is scheduled to begin in December.