Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was released from prison early Tuesday morning after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
According to Kristie Breshears, a spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Prisons, Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. His representatives announced that he plans to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan and is expected to resume his podcast on Tuesday.
Bannon, 70, reported to prison on July 1 after the Supreme Court rejected his bid to delay the sentence while he appeals his conviction. A jury found him guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and another for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
Upon beginning his sentence in July, Bannon referred to himself as a “political prisoner” and stated, “I am proud of going to prison,” claiming he was standing up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and a “corrupt” Justice Department.
Trump, a Republican, is currently seeking to regain the presidency in next week’s election against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
In May, a federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions. Bannon is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case. His legal team had argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege. However, prosecutors maintain that Bannon had left the White House years before and that Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee.
In addition to his contempt of Congress case, Bannon faces criminal charges in New York state court, where he is accused of duping donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud, and other charges. A trial in that case is scheduled to begin in December.
The release of Steve Bannon from prison marks the end of his sentence for defying the congressional subpoena, but his legal troubles are far from over. As he resumes his public life and political activities, the outcome of his appeal in the contempt case and the pending trial in New York will likely continue to make headlines and shape the ongoing discourse surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and the broader political landscape.
