Steve Bannon Wants the Supreme Court To Keep Him Out of Prison
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In a last-ditch effort to avoid serving a four-month prison sentence, former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon is pleading for the Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf.
On Thursday, the D.C. Court of Appeals rejected Bannon’s request to be released from detention while he once again attempts to appeal his 2022 conviction on charges of contempt of Congress. The decision effectively meant that Bannon could not continue to delay the start of his sentence, which is scheduled to begin on July 1.
In response to the appeals court decision, Bannon has petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf and secure his freedom as he continues to attempt to overturn his conviction.
“Applicant Mr. Bannon seeks the narrow relief of continued bail pending completion of his further appeals,” the filing reads. “There is no dispute that Mr. Bannon ‘is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released’ — indeed, he has been out on release for years now without incident, and his ‘crime’ was non-violent.”
Bannon has repeatedly argued that he was only following his lawyer’s advice when he failed to comply with the subpoena issued to him by the Jan. 6 Congressional committee. “Mr. Bannon relied in good faith on his attorney’s advice not to respond to a subpoena issued by a House Select Committee until executive privilege issues were resolved,” his attorneys wrote in their petition to the higher court.
The filing suggests to the court that if their questions are not resolved, “under the D.C. Circuit’s caselaw, future disagreements about subpoena compliance will be met not with negotiation — but with indictments.”
“If Mr. Bannon is denied release, he will be forced to serve his prison sentence before this Court has a chance to consider a petition for a writ of certiorari,” his lawyers add.
Given that Bannon’s sentence will begin in less than two weeks, the conservative-controlled court would need to move quickly if they were to intercede on his behalf. Should his request be rejected, Bannon — still one of the most prominent allies of the former president — would likely be incarcerated when millions of Americans cast their ballots in November’s election.
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