DOJ asks federal judge to sentence Steve Bannon to 6 months in prison, $200K fine

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department asked a federal judge Monday to sentence former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to six months in prison and a fine of $200,000 for contempt of Congress.

In a 24-page sentencing memorandum filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, prosecutors described Bannon's refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee as "sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress."

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol repeatedly sought documents and testimony from Bannon, but he "flouted the Committee’s authority and ignored the subpoena’s demands," prosecutors said.

• Add to Google

Bannon after guilty verdict: ‘I stand with Trump and the Constitution’

02:00

"To this day the Defendant has not produced a single document to the Committee or appeared for testimony," they added.

Bannon is scheduled to be sentenced Friday, exactly a year after the House held him in contempt.

The memo said Bannon, who was an adviser to former President Donald Trump, "deserves severe punishment."

"The rioters who overran the Capitol on January 6 did not just attack a building — they assaulted the rule of law upon which this country was built and through which it endures. By flouting the Select Committee’s subpoena and its authority, the Defendant exacerbated that assault," it said.

In a response filed later Monday, Bannon's lawyers argued that he should get only probation. Bannon, they said, "has not been convicted of a violent crime, he has no other criminal convictions, and he has strong ties to the D.C. area." They also asked that Bannon be allowed to remain free until his lawyers are able to appeal the sentence.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

A jury found Bannon guilty in July on two counts of contempt of Congress for blowing off the Jan. 6 committee. At the time, Bannon and his lawyers made it clear they planned to appeal, with attorney David Schoen describing the verdict as “round one” in a longer battle.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between killed New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Bannon surrendered to federal authorities in November after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. One of the counts was for refusing to appear for a deposition, and the other was for declining to produce documents requested by the committee.

Bannon was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and then was a top aide for his first seven months in office, leaving the administration in August 2017. He provided informal advice to Trump and his team after the 2020 election and ahead of the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The Jan. 6 committee has pointed to comments Bannon made on his podcast the day before the insurrection as an example of why he should answer questions.

Meanwhile, Bannon is also on trial in a separate case charged with defrauding donors who were giving money to build a wall at the southern U.S. border.