Trump ally Steve Bannon sentenced to 4 months in prison

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was sentenced on Friday to four months in prison following his conviction on two contempt of Congress charges after he defied subpoenas from the House of Representatives committee probing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

District Judge Carl Nichols said Bannon did not have to serve his sentence immediately, and would be allowed to remain free while his appeals play out in court.

Prosecutors had sought a six month jail term, saying Bannon "pursued a bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt" during legal proceedings.

"The Committee sought documents and testimony from the Defendant relevant to a matter of national importance: the circumstances that led to a violent attack on the Capitol and disruption of the peaceful transfer of power. In response, the Defendant flouted the Committee’s authority and ignored the subpoena’s demands," the Justice Department said in a court filing.

Bannon's attorneys had sought probation instead of prison time, and said after Nichols handed down his sentence that the decision to allow for a stay was "extraordinary," and the "appropriate move."

Bannon, 68, was found guilty in July on two counts of contempt of Congress related to his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House of Representatives committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the US Congress.

He faced one count for failing to appear for a deposition, and another for refusing to hand over requested documents. The jury deliberated for under three hours before reaching its verdict.

The committee sought to interview Bannon about meetings he participated in at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 5, 2021, the night before Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent President Joe Biden from assuming office.

The Willard, which is blocks from the White House, was allegedly the scene of Trump's "War Room" where the former president's loyalists worked around the clock to come up with strategies to overturn the November 2020 election, which Trump lost by more than 7 million votes.

Bannon now faces a minimum of 30 days in prison per count. The maximum sentence he can receive is one year per count. There is also a fine of between $100 to $100,000.