Jan 6: Bannon Sentenced to Four Months in Prison
Washington, DC federal Judge Carl Nichols on Friday sentenced former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to four months in prison following his conviction of contempt of Congress after refusing to testify before the House Jan. 6 Committee.
Facts
- Washington, DC federal Judge Carl Nichols on Friday sentenced former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to four months in prison following his conviction of contempt of Congress after refusing to testify before the House Jan. 6 Committee.
- Referring to Bannon's claim of immunity due to working for then-Pres. Trump, Judge Nichols said, "Some of the information sought by the subpoena is information under which no conceivable claim of executive privilege could’ve been made."
- Alongside the federal prison sentence, Bannon must pay a $6.5k fine, though the court said it would suspend his sentence until the appeals process is through if he files an appeal in a timely manner.
- Prosecutors had sought a six-month sentence and a $200k fine, citing “a total disregard for government processes and the law.” Bannon was hoping for probation.
- Earlier this year, the Dept. of Justice (DOJ) decided not to indict former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and his deputy Dan Scavino, saying they both provided some cooperation to congressional investigators. Former Trump Trade adviser Peter Navarro, however, is likely headed to trial in November also on contempt charges.
- After the hearing, Bannon told the press, "I respect the judge, the sentence he came down with today is his decision," but predicted that his political rivals would be voted out in the upcoming November midterm elections.
Sources: Business Insider, Timcast, NBC, Daily Wire, NPR Online News, and FOX News.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Huffington Post. Bannon's claim of executive privilege was baseless from the start, as he wasn't even working at the White House leading up to or during Jan. 6. As a private citizen, he worked to push the stolen election lie and, as Judge Nichols said, he continued to ignore the committee even after Trump withdrew his claim of privilege.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. This trial, reminiscent of AG Eric Holder's contempt charge a decade ago, is nothing more than a political stunt and abuse of power. The only difference today is that back when Democrat Holder was accused of contempt of congress, he was never sentenced to prison. The Biden admin. is prosecuting its rivals at every opportunity — no matter how weak their case — but with November fast approaching, it will soon reap what it sows.
