Bannon Conviction Upheld on Appeal, Putting Former Senior Trump Advisor One Step Closer to Prison

A panel at the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District rejects Bannon’s appeal, indicating that there was ‘no basis’ to overturn the conviction.

AP/Nathan Howard
Steve Bannon arrives at federal court for a sentencing hearing, October 21, 2022, at Washington. AP/Nathan Howard

A federal appeals court upheld the conviction of a one-time advisor to President Trump, Steve Bannon, related to his defying a subpoena from the January 6 House Select Committee. The ruling puts Bannon one step closer to prison.

In 2022, Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison by the federal court for the District of Columbia. Yet the Trump-appointed jurist overseeing the case, Judge Carl Nichols, agreed to postpone the sentence while Bannon appealed the decision.

In his appeal, attorneys for Bannon argued that he couldn’t comply with the congressional subpoenas because Mr. Trump had invoked executive privilege. A panel at the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District on Friday rejected Bannon’s appeal, indicating that there was “no basis” to overturn the conviction.

“In his appeal, Bannon does not dispute that he deliberately refused to comply with the Select Committee’s subpoena,” the panel wrote. “Instead, Bannon challenges the contempt of Congress charges on the ground that he reasonably believed — based on advice of counsel — that he did not have to respond.”

It’s unclear if Bannon will now need to report to prison or if he can continue appealing. He could appeal Friday’s ruling to the full, 11-member panel of the appeals court, or directly to the Supreme Court.

Federal courts have recently rejected similar bids from former advisors to Mr. Trump, including strategist Peter Navarro, who is serving a four-month sentence at Miami.

In the weeks following the 2020 election, Bannon and Navarro worked together on a strategy they called the “Green Bay Sweep” that would have called upon members of Congress supporting Mr. Trump’s attempt to undermine the election to discuss their grievances for four hours each before ultimately attempting to declare the results “in dispute.”


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use