Steve Bannon sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress

First modification: 10/21/2022 – 23:02

Steve Bannon, one of the former advisers to former United States President Donald Trump (2016-20221), was sentenced to four months in prison for failing to attend a summons to testify made by the Committee of the Congress of that country that investigates the assault on the Capitol occurred on January 6, 2021.

Last July he was found guilty on charges of contempt, refusing to testify and refusing to deliver documents.

Federal Judge Car Nichols was in charge of handing down the sentence, which also adds a fine of $6,500. And it is that contempt of Congress raises a mandatory minimum sentence of at least one month in prison.

In sentencing, Judge Nichols stated that, from his point of view, Bannon had not taken “responsibility for his actions”, so he preferred to lead by example. “Others must be deterred from committing similar crimes,” he argued. Despite this, he allowed the defendant to remain free pending appeal.

“No one is above the law”

Bannon’s behavior was described as “a bad faith strategy” by the prosecutors, for which they requested at least six months of punishment. Those responsible for establishing the sentence also took as a basis the defendant’s public statements in which he disparaged the Committee, making clear his intention to undermine efforts to clarify what happened on January 6, according to the AP news agency.

“The defendant is not above the law and that is exactly what makes this case important.” “We must make it clear to the public, to citizens, that no one is above the law,” argued JP Chooney, one of the prosecutors.

Chooney noted that Steve Bannon “chose to hide behind fabricated claims of ‘executive privilege,'” a key aspect used by the defense, consisting of withholding sensitive information from the public, Congress and the courts when an issue may affect the National security. However, Bannon was not officially working for the White House when the assault on the Legislative headquarters took place.

In this sense, the defense did not remain silent, supporting the defendant’s comments regarding the investigative committee. “Telling the truth about this Committee or saying what you think about this Committee is not only acceptable in this country, it’s an obligation if you believe it to be true,” said David Schoen, Bannon’s attorney, defending his client in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, regarding freedom of expression.

Bannon has two weeks to appeal the sentence. If he doesn’t file his plea on time, he must be served by November 15.

“The Illegitimate Regime’s Judgment Day”

During the hearing, only eight words were heard from Steve Bannon: “My lawyers have spoken for me, your honor.” Earlier, on the way to court, Trump’s former adviser was more explicit. “This illegitimate regime, the day of its trial is November 8,” he said, referring to the congressional elections that the country will experience in a couple of weeks and in which the Republican Party opposed to Biden could be strengthened.

Leaving the site, he stressed that the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, would be tried.

Bannon has claimed that he offered to testify after former President Trump relinquished executive privilege, which he did after being charged with contempt. According to prosecutors, he would only testify if the case was dismissed.

The lawsuit with Congress is not the only process that Bannon has behind him. He faces charges of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in the state of New York, linked to the “We Build the Wall” campaign that supposedly raised 25 million dollars to build the wall on the border with Mexico, but according to the Prosecutor’s Office was used for personal purposes.

A victory for the rule of law

According to the congressional committee, Steve Bannon spoke with Trump on the phone on at least two occasions and stated on his podcast that “hell will break loose tomorrow” shortly before the assault on the US Capitol took place.

The investigative commission led by Democrats and seeking the testimony of the close group of the previous White House tenant described this Friday’s conviction as a victory for the rule of law, according to the Reuters agency.

Bannon alleges political motivation for the charges against him. Referring to the country’s attorney general and President Joe Biden, he stated that “they faced the wrong guy at the time.”

With AP and Reuters