DOJ Shockingly Doubles Down Attacks On Steve Bannon

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

(TargetLiberty.org) – The Justice Department has urged the Supreme Court to dismiss Steve Bannon’s urgent appeal to postpone his prison sentence, following his conviction for contempt of Congress.

Steve Bannon, a former key advisor to ex-President Donald Trump, was convicted on two charges of contempt of Congress in 2022 for not complying with a subpoena from the House January 6 committee. He did not provide the requested documents and skipped his scheduled deposition. He was sentenced by a federal judge to four months in prison.

Prosecutors argue that Bannon’s case does not reach the high threshold required for an emergency stay of his prison term during his appeal.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar stated in the court filings that Bannon entirely failed to comply with the subpoena, ignoring both the document production and deposition requirements.

Prelogar emphasized that Bannon has not demonstrated the stringent requirements needed to forestall the usual process of beginning a prison sentence post-conviction.

In his emergency request, Bannon contends that he should remain free while his appeal is considered, arguing that the push to incarcerate him is driven by political motives.

This plea from the Department of Justice was filed shortly after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced that the House GOP leadership would submit an amicus brief related to Bannon’s appeal.

Johnson, alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), indicated that their brief would not support either party. It aims to retract certain arguments previously made by the House regarding the structure of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol during the last Congress. They assert that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi misused her authority in forming the committee.

The Republican party has consistently criticized the legitimacy of the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoenas, claiming the committee was improperly established. However, these claims have not held up in court.

Peter Navarro, another former advisor to Trump, is also serving a four-month prison term for contempt charges related to defying the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena. His request for emergency relief from the Supreme Court was denied.

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