Mary Pintea – News Editor

mvp5879@psu.edu 

Long-time Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for defying a subpoena put in place by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

The judge permitted Bannon to stay free—pending appeal—and imposed a fine of $6,500 after Bannon’s July conviction. Bannon has received two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition, and the other for refusing to provide relevant documentation. 

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said that the law clearly states that contempt of Congress is subject to a minimum sentence of one month behind bars. Despite this, Bannon’s lawyers argued that the judge could sentence him to probation rather than the six-month sentence prosecutors suggested. 

Bannon, 68, has yet to testify or provide documents to the House committee. Prosecutors argued that Bannon deserved a lengthier sentence due to his “bad faith strategy,” in which he has made it clear that he wants to undermine the efforts of the committee. Rather than provide documentation, Bannon has avoided submission or admission of anything that could incriminate anyone involved in the attack, going as far as to fabricate claims. 

Bannon was fired from the White House in 2017, making him a private citizen when he was consulting with Donald Trump prior to the riot. During his hearing, he requested “Trump lawyers” be present in the room, but the committee would not allow it. 

David Schoen, Bannon’s lawyer, claimed that his client was doing what his lawyer had told him to do—withholding information under Trump’s executive privilege objections. 

Schoen remarked, “Quite frankly, Mr. Bannon should make no apology. No American should make any apology for the manner in which Mr. Bannon proceeded in this case.” Later, Schoen stated that Bannon’s public remarks about the committee were solely his duty. 

Bannon argued that he had offered to testify once Trump waived executive privilege, after the contempt charges were filed. On the contrary, prosecutors allege that Bannon would only agree to give the deposition if the case was dropped. Furthermore, the prosecutors claimed that Bannon refused to answer routine questions about his income, insisting that he could pay the fine regardless of the amount. 

Moreover, Bannon is still facing charges for his participation in the “We Build the Wall” campaign, including money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors in this case claim that Bannon falsely promised donors that all money would go to refining the U.S.-Mexico border wall, but instead funneled payments to two other individuals involved in the scheme. As of now, Bannon has pleaded not guilty.