On Thursday, a federal judge ordered Steve Bannon, former adviser to Donald Trump, to begin a four-month prison sentence on July 1 for defying subpoenas from the Jan. 6 Committee, following the rejection of his appeal by a higher court.
Bannon was convicted in July 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress, but his sentence was delayed during his appeal.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols stated the “original basis” for delaying Bannon’s sentence no longer existed after the appeals court upheld his conviction. Although Bannon could still appeal Nichols’ ruling, the judge decided it was time for Bannon to serve his sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston emphasized during the 2022 trial, “The defendant chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law.”
Sentenced in October 2022, Bannon’s four-month prison term mirrors that of Peter Navarro, another former Trump adviser, who also defied the Jan. 6 Committee subpoena. Bannon’s lawyers had sought to delay the sentence until they could appeal to higher courts, including the Supreme Court. They suggested any delay might work in Bannon’s favor if Trump wins the presidency in November and potentially pardons Bannon.
Entering the courthouse with a smile, Bannon appeared unperturbed, even greeting a supporter who called out, “Trump ‘24!” Following Judge Nichols’ decision, Bannon remained composed. His attorney, David Schoen, however, reacted passionately.
“You’re sending a man to prison who thought he was complying with the law, we don’t do that in my system,” Schoen argued and criticized the ruling as “contrary to our system of justice.”
Judge Nichols advised Schoen to sit down, responding, “I think you should sit down,” to which Schoen retorted he was not yelling but being “passionate.”
Judge Nichols, a Trump appointee, has overseen multiple Jan. 6 cases, including rejecting the government’s use of an obstruction charge against several Jan. 6 defendants and Trump himself.
This case has reached the Supreme Court, which heard arguments in April. Nichols also recently sentenced a Jan. 6 defendant to over six years in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with bear spray, a conviction aided by evidence from a Bumble dating app sting operation.
