Trump ally Stephen Bannon surrenders to federal prison to serve 4-month sentence
DANBURY, Conn. — Longtime Trump ally Stephen K. Bannon was taken into custody Monday after surrendering at a federal prison to begin a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack.
Bannon arrived at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., around noon and was formally taken into federal custody, the Bureau of Prisons said.
Speaking to reporters, Bannon called himself a “political prisoner,” said former President Trump was “very supportive” of him and slammed Democrats, including Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland.
“I am proud of going to prison,” Bannon said, adding he was “standing up to the Garland corrupt DOJ.”
Stephen K. Bannon says he’ll fight a judge’s ruling that he must report to prison by July 1 to serve his four-month sentence for defying a House committee subpoena.
Shortly before he arrived to surrender, a small group of supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, gathered on the side of the road outside the prison. They cheered as Greene and Bannon spoke during a news conference, holding up flags and signs supporting Bannon as a small group of protesters shouted, “Lock him up!” and “Traitor!”
A judge had allowed Bannon to stay free for nearly two years while he appealed but ordered him to report to prison Monday after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions. The Supreme Court on Friday rejected his last-minute appeal to stave off his sentence.
A jury found Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in the Republican ex-president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Defense attorneys have argued the case raises issues that should be examined by the Supreme Court, including Bannon’s previous lawyer’s belief that the subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege. Prosecutors, though, noted that Bannon had left the White House years before and Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee.
The Supreme Court rejected a bid to delay prison for Trump ally Stephen Bannon, who’s appealing his conviction for defying a subpoena from a House panel.
Bannon’s appeal will continue to play out, and Republican House leaders have put their support behind stepping in to assert the Jan. 6 committee was improperly created, in effect trying to cast the subpoena Bannon received as illegitimate.
Another Trump aide, trade advisor Peter Navarro, has also been convicted of contempt of Congress. He reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence after the Supreme Court refused his bid to delay the sentence.
Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state court alleging he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges, and that trial has been postponed until at least the end of September.
Haigh and Whitehurst write for the Associated Press. Whitehurst reported from Washington. AP journalist John Minchillo contributed to this report.
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