Bannon Makes His Next Move in Contempt Case

UPDATE Nov 5, 2022 6:30 AM CDT

Steve Bannon is officially pushing back on his most recent conviction and its accompanying four-month prison sentence. Reuters reports the 68-year-old Trump ally filed an appeal notice Friday in federal court, two weeks after he was sentenced in his contempt of Congress case, in which he refused to testify or hand over documents to a House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Bannon was also hit with a $6,500 fine. His legal team had previously requested that he be able to defer his prison sentence until the appeals process plays out—a request that has been granted, per CNN.

Oct 21, 2022 10:16 AM CDT

Steve Bannon has learned the price he'll pay—or might pay—for blowing off the House Jan. 6 committee: four months in prison and a $6,500 fine, per Politico. Federal judge Carl Nichols on Friday imposed the sentence on the Donald Trump ally, who was previously convicted of criminal contempt of Congress, per CNN. Bannon, however, plans to appeal, and the judge allowed him to remain free until the appeal is resolved. Bannon was convicted on two contempt counts, one for refusing to hand over requested documents and one for refusing to testify. Prosecutors had sought a six-month sentence.

Among other things, the House panel wanted to know why Bannon predicted the day before the Capitol riot that "all hell is going to break loose tomorrow," per NPR. Before his contempt trial, Bannon promised to unleash "hell" on the Justice Department and President Biden during the proceeding, but he ended up presenting no defense, and the jury convicted him after just a few hours of deliberations. (Bannon also faces legal trouble over his solicitation of donations to build a wall on the US southern border.)