Steve Bannon was released after 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress

Bill Christeson waits for Steve Bannon to leave Federal Correctional Institution Danbury, where Bannon is incarcerated, on Tuesday in Danbury, Conn. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Associated Press

DANBURY, Conn. — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, was released from prison early Tuesday after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bannon has been released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Kristie Breshears. His representatives said he planned to hold a news conference in Manhattan later in the day. He is also expected to continue his podcast on Tuesday.

Steve Bannon will appear in court in New York in January 2023. Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP

Bannon, 70, was sent to prison on July 1 after his request to postpone his prison sentence while he appealed his conviction was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The jury found Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in 2022: once for refusing to appear to testify before a House Committee on Jan. 6 and the other for refusing to produce documents related to his involvement in efforts to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden. because he refused. Biden is in the 2020 presidential race.

When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon called himself a “political prisoner.”

“I’m proud to go to prison,” he said at the time, adding that he stood up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and a “corrupt” Justice Department.

Republican Trump is trying to regain the presidency in next week’s election against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions in May. Bannon is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case. His legal team argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump invoked executive privilege. But prosecutors say Bannon left the White House years ago and Trump never invoked executive privilege before the committee.

Bannon faces additional charges in New York state court for allegedly deceiving donors who gave money to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. Bannon has denied money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. The trial in this case is scheduled to begin in December.

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