by Kaitlin Richardson
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon reported to prison Monday and is now officially in custody, according to The Associated Press.
Bannon will serve a four-month sentence for his conviction on contempt of Congress charges for ignoring a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee. The Supreme Court declined on Friday to postpone his sentence while he appeals the conviction.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed Monday that he is now in custody, according to the AP. He began his sentence at Federal Correctional Institute Danbury just before noon, ABC News reported.
“I’m a political prisoner of Nancy Pelosi. I’m a political prisoner of Merrick Garland. I’m a political prisoner of Joe Biden, the corrupt Biden establishment,” Bannon said outside of the prison. “It’s Nancy Pelosi and Merrick Garland that made me a martyr, right? But martyrs die, and I’m far from dead, baby.”
BANNON: “These people are not going to be shut down. The American people have learned one thing: when the voice is heard, change happens. That's what the WarRoom is all about.” pic.twitter.com/3hMdrqP8E1
— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) July 1, 2024
“I am proud to go to prison,” Bannon said before entering the prison, according to ABC News. “If this is what it takes the stand up to tyranny, if this way it takes the stand up to the Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it.”
In May, a federal appeals court upheld Bannon’s conviction. Bannon’s attorneys have indicated they intend to seek an en banc rehearing before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals or review by the Supreme Court
“There is also no denying the fact that the government seeks to imprison Mr. Bannon for the four-month period immediately preceding the November presidential election,” they told the Supreme Court in their emergency application. “There is no reason for that outcome in a case that presents substantial legal issues.”
His attorneys noted that the last time anyone was convicted on contempt of Congress charges was “fifty years ago,” urging the Court also to “be mindful of the government’s own conduct when it comes to congressional subpoenas.”
“Congress recently issued subpoenas to DOJ regarding Hunter Biden, yet DOJ instructed its Tax Division lawyers to refuse to comply,” they noted.
In May, the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Garland.
Former Trump aide Peter Navarro is also serving a 4-month sentence on contempt of Congress charges related to declining to comply with a Jan. 6 committee subpoena.
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Kaitlin Richardson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Steve Bannon” by Grace Chong.
