DoJ seeks 6-months in prison, $200K fine for Trump aide Bannon
One of Trump's closest allies. Steve Bannon, will be sent to prison for six months and ordered to pay $200,000 in fines over his contempt of Congress.
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Former Trump Administration White House advisor Steve Bannon speaks to the press on his way out of federal court on November 15, 2021, in Washington, DC (Getty Images)
The US Department of Justice asked a court to sentence former President Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon to six months in prison, topped with a $200,000 fine, for contempt of Congress, a document filed with the federal court on Monday said.
The controversial figure was found guilty of contempt of Congress in July after a brief trial that featured only two government witnesses who detailed the longtime Trump aide's defiance of a House committee's demand for records and testimony in its investigation of the January 6 Capitol riots.
The Justice Department's document said Washington was asking for the maximum penalty possible under sentencing guidelines over Bannon's pursuit of "a bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt" since his subpoena more than a year ago.
The federal court jury deliberated for less than three hours before reaching its decision, handing victories to the special House committee that initiated the contempt proceedings as well as the Justice Department's prosecution. Sentencing was initially set for October 21.
Prosecutors urged conviction in closing arguments, claiming that Bannon "chose allegiance to Donald Trump" over an obligation to comply with Congress.
To date, Bannon has not produced a single document or shown up to provide testimony as required. He was found guilty of two counts of contempt.
Bannon, a very close ally of Trump's, was also charged with money laundering and conspiracy for allegedly deceiving donors into an effort to help Trump build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
Bannon, 68, was charged with two counts of money laundering, three counts of conspiracy, and one count of scheming to defraud.
The case arose from what prosecutors have described as a private $25 million fundraising drive, known as "We Build the Wall," for the former Republican President's signature wall.
The indictment issued in early September concerns some of the conduct that led to Bannon's federal prosecution in August 2020, which also claimed he diverted nearly $1 million for personal expenses.
Bannon pleaded not guilty in that case, which ended when Trump pardoned him in the final hours of his presidency in January 2021. State prosecutions are not barred by presidential pardons.
