US justice demands six months in prison for former Trump adviser Steve Bannon

US justice demands a six-month prison sentence for Steve Bannon, former adviser to President Trump. He became in July already found guilty of contempt of the US parliament, but no sentence has yet been determined. It will happen later this week.

Bannon was found guilty of failing to appear when he was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also refused to provide the committee for documents that might assist in the investigation.

The committee wanted to hear from Bannon because he was in contact with President Trump the day before the Capitol riots. In a podcast that day, he said “all hell would break loose” during protests over Trump’s election defeat. The following day, an angry mob stormed the Capitol, which houses the US parliament, without the intervention of the president.

Bannon had not held an official position with Trump for a long time. He served as an adviser early in Trump’s presidency, but was fired in 2017.

Bannon’s lawyers have asked for a suspended sentence, although it is not legally possible at all. The two offenses for which he was convicted carry a minimum sentence of one month in prison. In addition to the prison sentence, the justice also demanded a fine of 200,000 dollars. The judge will rule on Friday.

Bannon is also still involved in a fraud case. He is suspected of having embezzled money given to build the border wall between the United States and Mexico. It was a major Trump campaign promise.

Trump himself is last week subpoenaed by the Capitol Riots Investigation Commission. “He’s the person who takes center stage,” the Democratic president said. “So we want to hear from him. He needs to be held accountable.”