DOJ seeks 6-month prison sentence for Steve Bannon
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Steve Bannon speaks to the press on his way out of federal court in November 2021. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Department of Justice on Monday recommended that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon receive a six-month jail sentence and a $200,000 fine for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee.
Driving the news: The DOJ in the Monday filing said that Bannon from the moment that he accepted the subpoena "has pursued a bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt."
- "The defendant flouted the Committee's authority and ignored the subpoena's demands."
- "For his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress, the Defendant should be sentenced to six months' imprisonment—the top end of the Sentencing Guidelines' range—and fined $200,000—based on his insistence on paying the maximum fine rather than cooperate with the Probation Office’s routine pre-sentencing financial investigation."
What he's saying: In a sentencing memorandum, Bannon on Monday asked the judge to impose a sentence of probation instead of jail time and also asked to put any sentencing on hold pending appeal.
- "Over the last year, Mr. Bannon has demonstrated that he is willing and able to comply with any conditions of release imposed by the Court," Bannon's team said.
- "He also has the financial ability to pay an appeal bond, if one is set by this Court," they said.
- "The current state of the law burdens subpoenaed congressional witnesses with navigating complex legal principles – such as executive privilege – that are the argot of lawyers, not laymen."
- "The inherent risks of this approach cannot be understated," Bannon's team said.
The big picture: Bannon in July was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 select committee.
- A day after his conviction, Bannon said that he was willing to go to jail over his support for former President Trump.
- "I support Trump and the Constitution, and if they want to put me in jail for that, so be it,” Bannon told Fox News host Tucker Carlson during an episode of "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
What's next: Bannon's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21.
Go deeper: Steve Bannon's fraud trial expected in November 2023
Editor's note: This story has been updated with Steve Bannon's sentencing memo.
