Former Trump White House senior strategist Steve Bannon has been ordered by a federal judge in Washington, D.C. to surrender to federal prison by July 1.
At a Thursday morning hearing before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Donald Trump in 2019, the defendant’s bail was revoked after a lengthy, and ultimately unsuccessful, effort to reverse his two convictions on contempt of Congress charges.
As Law&Crime previously reported, prosecutors asked the court to lift a stay of Bannon’s four-month sentence roughly two weeks ago after his appeal was rejected by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
That request came by way of a May 14 motion to lift the stay of sentence pending appeal filed in the D.C. District Court.
Nichols, sitting in the Elijah Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse at 333 Constitution Ave. NW, obliged the government’s request.
Depending on when Bannon finally reports to prison, his sentence could see him remain behind bars until a week before Election Day — which will be held on Nov. 5, 2024. Should he report to prison ahead of the deadline, however, the defendant would likely be out by early October instead.
In revoking Bannon’s bail, Nichols said the original reasons for staying the sentence were no longer applicable due to the appeals process having played out to the extent it was likely to bear fruit.
Bannon was convicted by a jury in July 2022 on two counts of the contempt charge, for defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition. The jury took less than three hours to deliberate. Before trial, Nichols had barred Bannon’s anticipated defenses at trial, largely finding them irrelevant to the charged crimes.
Bannon was sentenced in October 2022 for his failure to comply with those subpoenas issued by the since-defunct House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Respect for Congress is of course an important piece of our Constitutional system,” Nichols said at that sentencing, also imposing a $6,500 fine.
This is a developing story.
Brandi Buchman contributed to this report
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Author: Colin Kalmbacher
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