On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ordered that Steve Bannon, once an advisor to former President Donald Trump, must surrender himself to prison by July 1 to begin a four-month sentence. The House, then under Democratic control, in October 2021 voted to find Bannon in contempt of Congress over refusing to comply with a subpoena from the now former January 6 Select Committee. He was found guilty in July 2022.
As POLITICO reported:
A federal judge has ordered Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, to report to prison by July 1 for his conviction for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, previously paused Bannon’s four-month sentence while he appealed his conviction. But on Thursday, Nichols ruled that the original reasons for the postponement no longer apply because a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled strongly and unanimously last month against Bannon’s position.
Bannon intends to continue appealing the case to the full bench of the D.C. Circuit and the Supreme Court. But unless one of those courts steps in to block Nichols’ decision, Bannon is unlikely to be able to stave off prison in the meantime.
If Bannon indeed heads to prison on July 1, it would put him behind bars until just before the November election. In addition to keeping Bannon — who hosts a popular far-right podcast — off the air for a crucial stretch of the election cycle, Nichols’ decision would also effectively pardon-proof Bannon’s jail sentence. (Trump pardoned Bannon on the final day of his presidency on federal fraud charges.)
The order was also the subject of POLITICO's PM edition for Thursday. Although Nicholas' order comes after Bannon lost an appeal, Bannon nevertheless remains confident. As the report also mentioned:
“We’re going to go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to,” Bannon said after Nichols’ decision. “There’s not a prison built or jail built that will shut me up.”
Schoen called on Speaker Mike Johnson to formally declare the Jan. 6 committee’s previous subpoenas invalid, contending this would add legal weight to Bannon’s appeal.
It’s unclear how receptive the appeals court or the Supreme Court will be to a plea from Bannon to remain free. Earlier this year, Navarro struck out at the appeals court and made a similar pitch to Chief Justice John Roberts, who oversees emergency matters arising in Washington, D.C.
Another Trump adviser, Peter Navarro, is currently serving his own four-month sentence for his contempt charge. He was sentenced in late January. Navarro also sought appeals, though the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeal to be released from prison in late April.
Per The New York Times' Jonathan Swan and Human Events' Jack Posobiec, Bannon said "Don’t pray for me. Pray for my enemies. They’re the ones who need it."
When I asked him about this just now, Bannon told me the same thing -- that people should pray for his enemies not for him -- after being told his prison date. Comes in the context of Trump allies planning revenge prosecutions. He also texted: "honey badger." https://t.co/RZkGRS86D2
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) June 6, 2024
While Trump advisers are serving time, those found to be in contempt of Congress by the House under President Barack Obama's time in office, such as the IRS' Lois Lerner and then Attorney General Eric Holder, did not serve time. Even more recently, First Son Hunter Biden had dodged a subpoena late last December, though he eventually testified on February 28. The House, now under Republican control, is also looking to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over refusing to turn over the audio from Special Counsel Robert Hur's interview with President Joe Biden.
Wait, you can go to jail for that? https://t.co/bGhqlDVWkE
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) June 6, 2024
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