Trump ally Steve Bannon begins prison sentence for contempt of court

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Steve Bannon, an influential ally of Donald Trump, was sent to prison on Monday to serve a four-month sentence after being found guilty of defying a congressional subpoena by the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

A defiant Bannon arrived at a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, and spoke to reporters and a cheering crowd of supporters. He described himself as a “political prisoner” and said his right-wing supporters would spread his message while he served his sentence.

“I'm proud to go to prison today,” Bannon said. “Not only do I have no regrets, I'm proud of what I did.”

After addressing the cameras, Bannon got into a dark SUV and drove into the prison complex.

Former President Trump is the Republican candidate running against Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 US election. The ruling could keep Bannon incarcerated almost until Election Day. Inmates in a federal prison do not have access to the internet or social media, making it difficult for Bannon to communicate with fans of his podcast, “War Room.”

Bannon failed in his final attempt to avoid prison on Friday when the Supreme Court rejected his request to stay his sentence while he exhausts all appeals against his conviction.

He was sentenced to four months in prison after being convicted of two minor counts of contempt of Congress in 2022. He was impeached after refusing to turn over documents or testify before a Democratic-led House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection carried out by Trump supporters who had tried to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's 2020 election victory.

Bannon was a key adviser to Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and served as his chief White House strategist in 2017 before a falling out between the two that was later resolved. He also played a major role in right-wing media.

He was initially allowed to delay beginning his prison sentence while he appealed his conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The appeals court ultimately upheld his conviction, and U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ordered Bannon to report to prison.

Bannon would not be the first former top Trump White House official to go to prison for refusing to cooperate with the committee. Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, was sent to prison in March after being sentenced to four months in prison. The Supreme Court denied Navarro's request to remain free while he appeals.

Trump pardoned Bannon in 2021 from a federal indictment accusing him of defrauding Trump supporters by attempting to raise private funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to the state charges related to raising funds for the border wall and is awaiting trial.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Will Dunham, Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)