Four months in prison for Bannon, former adviser to Trump

In Washington, Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Trump, was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of the US parliament. He was imprisoned for six months. Bannon had already been convicted in July, but no sentence had yet been determined. He will also have to pay a fine of $6,500.

Bannon, 68, will be sentenced last year for refusing to appear before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol storming. He also did not provide any documents to facilitate the investigation.

Bannon was fired as an adviser in 2017 but stayed in touch with Trump even the day before the storming. He also said in his podcast that day that “all hell would break loose” during the protest against Trump’s election defeat. Several people were killed in the storm.

According to the judge, Bannon takes no responsibility for his actions. “Respect for Congress is an important part of our constitutional order,” the judge said, adding that the ruling was also intended for a wider audience.

Earlier this year, correspondents Marieke de Vries and Lucas Waagmeester produced this retrospective of the capture of the Capitol:

Bannon was released on bail pending appeal. His lawyers had argued for a suspended sentence and house arrest. In July, Bannon said he was ready to testify, but it was too late for prosecutors.

Off court, Bannon was already talking about next month’s midterm elections. “On November 8, we will pass judgment on the illegitimate Biden regime,” he said, citing Trumpists’ belief that Democrat Biden fraudulently won the presidential election. There is, however, no evidence of this.

Bannon issued a stern warning to the US administration of President Biden:

Bannon is involved in other lawsuits. He was charged with money laundering in New York State. Bannon reportedly spurned money given to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico, a Trump campaign promise.