Steve Bannon reports to prison to begin 4-month sentence
Former Trump Administration Chief Strategist Steve Bannon became inmate 05635-509 in Danbury, Connecticut shortly after noon on Monday.
The far-right wing activist was ordered to serve a four-month sentence for defying a congressional subpoena to address the Jan.6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He fought that contempt conviction for nearly two years before exhausting his appeals.
A jury convicted Bannon for refusing to answer a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 House Committee investigating that violent uprising, and also for refusing to turn over documents pertaining to his involvement. He unsuccessfully argued Trump granted him executive privilege to ignore the subpoena.
His last day of freedom before fall ended with a press conference attended by supporters including former police commissioner and pardoned convict Bernie Kerik and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“Steve will be fine for 4 months,” Greene assured attendees.
Bannon thanked media members for showing up, blamed “The Deep State” for removing Trump from office and encouraged Trump to campaign forcefully over the next several months. He insisted he was “proud” to serve time in what he believes to be furtherance of the MAGA movement.
“Fight on!” Bannon said. “If President Trump continues to fight, victory will be ours.”
After being blessed by a priest, Bannon ended Monday’s gathering and said, “It’s time for me to surrender at Danbury.”
Bannon reported to prison after his press conference, though Bureau of Prison (BOP) records listed him as “Not in BOP custody” shortly after that event concluded.
Bannon’s supporters on social media also claimed the pundit is a political prisoner, including Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, who on X protested his imprisonment.
“I stand by him 100% and his voice will grow louder than ever before!” she wrote.
Bannon told the Daily Beast Sunday that he intended to host one more episode of his “War Room” podcast Monday morning before beginning his sentence.
“Then when I finish, I’ll drop the mic and then go surrender,” he said.
The 70-year-old activist labeled himself a “political prisoner” whose time served would make him a “martyr” in the MAGA community. He’s one of many Trump loyalists who have faced criminal charges related to efforts to keep the former president in power.
Bannon told listeners on Jan. 5, 2021, that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow,” but wouldn’t tell investigators what he knew or why he believed there would be a violent attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Donald Trump.
“It’s not gonna happen like you think it’s gonna happen,” he warned, referring to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as “the point of attack.”
The Justice Department reported in January that nearly 1,300 people had been charged for the attack on the Capitol. Trump continues to insist the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen from him without any facts to support that claim.
A defiant Bannon told NBC News over the weekend that Democrats would only defeat Trump again in November if “they cheat.””
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