Six months in prison
Prosecutors seek prison sentence for Bannon
10/17/2022, 5:05 p.m
Steve Bannon was found guilty in July for ignoring a court summons and withholding documents. Prosecutors are now pushing for a “severe sentence” for the former Trump adviser: six months in prison. He should also pay a large fine.
In the case against the well-known US right-wing populist and former presidential adviser Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, prosecutors have asked for a six-month prison sentence. In a motion filed with the court, the prosecution is also seeking a $200,000 fine against former President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist. Bannon deserves a “harsh punishment” for his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the parliamentary inquiry into the storming of the Capitol.
A federal court in the capital Washington must now decide on the sentence. The sentence will be announced next Friday. Under the law, the maximum penalty for contempt of Congress is one year in prison per count. However, guidelines, which are usually below the legal upper limit, are decisive for determining prison sentences.
Bannon was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in July. The 68-year-old ignored a summons from the investigative committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol storming. In addition, the former boss of the right-wing website “Breitbart News” refused to hand over documents to the committee.
Bannon is said to have known about the Capitol storm
The committee believes Bannon is a key witness in the investigation into the Capitol storming. According to the panel, the right-wing populist spoke to Trump the day before the storming. In his own podcast, Bannon also predicted at the time that “hell will break out”.
Radical Trump supporters stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, when Trump’s challenger Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election was to be officially confirmed. The storming of the Capitol with five dead and around 140 injured police officers caused horror worldwide and is considered a black day in the history of US democracy.
Most recently, the parliamentary inquiry committee summoned Trump himself last week. The ex-president has not yet stated whether he is ready to testify. However, this is considered highly unlikely. A refusal by the 76-year-old, who is flirting with another presidential candidacy in 2024, could lead to bitter legal disputes.
Trump pardoned Bannon before
Bannon was a central figure in Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump’s victory, he then became chief strategist in the White House. However, Trump fired him in August 2017 amid tensions between Bannon and other employees and the President himself.
The two right-wing populists then approached each other again. Shortly before the end of his presidency, Trump pardoned Bannon, who had been charged with suspected embezzlement of donations from a campaign to finance a border wall with Mexico. Bannon was then re-indicted by the Manhattan Attorney’s Office last September.