Judge Orders Steve Bannon to Begin Prison Sentence

(PatriotNews.net) – A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Trump, to report to prison on July 1. This decision came from Judge Carl Nichols, who revoked Bannon’s bail following his lost appeal of a contempt of Congress conviction in May. Bannon received a four-month prison sentence for ignoring a Congressional subpoena related to the January 6 Capitol riot.

Bannon has not yet commented on Nichols’ ruling. He claimed he acted on the advice of his legal team and did not intend to break the law. Judge Bradley Garcia disagreed, stating that an “advice of counsel” defense is “no defense at all.”

Initially sentenced in October 2022, Bannon also received a $6,500 fine. DOJ prosecutors had sought a six-month sentence and a $200,000 fine. After the sentencing, Bannon expressed respect for the judge’s decision, stating he had been respectful throughout the legal process.

Bannon’s former attorney, Robert Costello, advised him that he was legally not permitted to respond to the subpoena. Bannon’s current attorney, David Schoen, argued that in America, people who follow their lawyers’ advice, believing their conduct to be lawful, should not be prosecuted or imprisoned.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston, part of special counsel Jack Smith’s team, argued that Bannon chose loyalty to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.

Bannon’s lawyers want the sentence stayed until they can appeal to the full appeals court and the Supreme Court. A delay could benefit Bannon if Trump is elected president in November and decides to pardon Bannon again, as he did on January 20, 2021.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the sentence an “American Tragedy” and suggested that members of the Jan. 6 committee be prosecuted instead.

Later this year, Bannon faces a separate trial in New York on state charges involving allegations of defrauding donors who contributed to building a wall on the southern U.S. border. He pleaded not guilty. Before Trump pardoned him, federal prosecutors had previously charged Bannon in the same scheme.