Steven Bannon is once again ordered to report to prison by July 1 after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) denied his request to remain free while he appeals his conviction.
Earlier this month, Bannon was ordered to report to prison at the start of next month for a four-month sentence after the War Room host was convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt for refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena from the Jan. 6 Committee. On Wednesday, House republicans filed an amicus brief with SCOTUS to appeal the sentence in hopes of helping Bannon avoid serving prison time.
SCOTUS denied Bannon's request on Friday with a one-sentence order.
"The application for release pending appeal presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is denied," reads SCOTUS' order. The Supreme Court denied Steve Bannon's effort to stay out of jail pending his appeal of his contempt of Congress conviction. He was ordered to report to prison by July 1. pic.twitter.com/Ni5iwgzzVg
— Katelynn Richardson (@katesrichardson) June 28, 2024
The amicus brief claimed the Jan. 6 Committee did not "function within the bounds" of their own rules, nor House Rules, arguing the committee did not have a Ranking Member of the Minority.
“Vice-chair Liz Cheney was not a Ranking Member. Therefore, the Select Committee violated House Rules, and its own rules, by attempting to compel Mr. Bannon to appear for a deposition without notifying a Ranking Member," reads a press release from the Committee on House Administration (CHA). "The Select Committee’s inability to comply with its own rules invalidate Bannon’s contempt order and the prosecution of Mr. Bannon should be dismissed or reconsidered in light of this information."
The CHA argued Bannon's sentence should be "dismissed or reconsidered" because of the Jan. 6 Committee's shortcoming. The amicus brief also cited "concerning misconduct" by the committee, including suppression of evidence, deletion key files, and "intentionally [misleading] Congress and the American people all in an effort to protect a preconceived narrative."
Also on Wednesday, Soliciter General Elizabeth Prelogar of the Justice Department issued a separate court filing urging SCOTUS to deny Bannon's request. She also noted Peter Navarro, an economic advisor to former President Donald Trump, is currently serving prison time for the same crime as Bannon. Navarro is scheduled for release sometime mid-July.
Last week, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie drafted a resolution to rescind subpoenas issued to Bannon, as well as the already imprisoned Navarro, and declare the Jan. 6 Committee illegitimate.
“Why don’t we rescind the Congressional subpoena for Steve Bannon and officially repudiate the J6 committee by a vote of Congress?” Massie asked Johnson in a June 6 X post.
“For nearly two years, the January 6th Committee presented uncorroborated evidence that fit its narrative with the intent of disgracing President Trump, his advisors, and supporters in an effort to influence future elections,” Massie’s resolution reads.
The Kentucky representative said Navarro and Bannon's imprisonment represented an "unprecedented attempt to silence and marinalize political opponents."
Although he must report to prison by the first of the month, Bannon still may appeal his conviction to SCOTUS.
