Ex-Trump official Steve Bannon’s bid to avoid prison denied by SCOTUS
Former Trump White House official Steve Bannon must report to federal prison next week, the Supreme Court ruled Friday, denying his last-ditch effort to remain a free man.
“The application for release pending appeal presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is denied,” the high court stated in a brief order, with no dissents noted.
Bannon, 70, was convicted nearly two years ago of two counts of contempt of Congress over his refusal to sit for a deposition with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol and for failing to provide documents to the Democrat-led select committee.
He was sentenced to serve four-months behind bars and faces a July 1 deadline to report to prison.
Bannon will do his time at a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Conn.
Last month, a three-judge panel upheld Bannon’s July 2022 conviction, and last week, DC US District Judge Carl Nichols ordered the former president’s ally to serve his jail sentence.
Bannon will be the second Trump White House aide to serve prison time in connection with defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee.
Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, began serving his four-month sentence in March after his petition to the Supreme Court was also rejected.
Bannon was fired by Trump less than a year into his administration — but the two later reconciled and both trumpeted allegations that the 2020 election was stolen.
Trump, 78, pardoned Bannon just before leaving office on Jan. 20, 2021, for federal fraud and money laundering charges related to a private fundraiser his former chief strategist held, ostensibly to fund construction of the US-Mexico border wall.
