Trump advisor Steve Bannon ordered to report to prison after appeal rejection

Washington DC - Former Donald Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon has been ordered to report to prison by the judge overseeing his contempt of Congress conviction.

On Thursday, Steve Bannon (r.), a former advisor to Donald Trump, was ordered by a judge to report to prison after he was convicted for contempt of congress.
On Thursday, Steve Bannon (r.), a former advisor to Donald Trump, was ordered by a judge to report to prison after he was convicted for contempt of congress.  © Collage: MANDEL NGAN / AFP & Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

According to NBC News, US District Judge Carl Nichols ruled on Thursday to revoke Bannon's bail and ordered him to report to prison by July 1.

Bannon, who served in the White House as chief strategist for the first seven months of Trump's presidency, was convicted in July 2022 of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to testify before the congressional panel that investigated the January 6 Capitol riots.

Prosecutors had argued that Bannon "chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law" by refusing to comply, but Bannon's attorneys claimed their client was acting on legal advice he was given and he did not intend to break any laws.

Putin reacts to Trump's re-election and says he's "ready" to hold talks
Vladimir Putin Putin reacts to Trump's re-election and says he's "ready" to hold talks

By October, Bannon was convicted and sentenced to four months in prison but was allowed out on bail while he attempted to appeal the ruling. Last month, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his appeal but gave him seven days to file an appeal with the full court.

But prosecutors followed-up the rejection with a motion urging Judge Nichols to send Bannon to prison, arguing there was "no legal basis" to allow him to remain free.

Steve Bannon reacts to his prison sentence

Donald Trump (l.) congratulating White House chief strategist Steve Bannon during the swearing-in of senior staff at the White House on January 22, 2017.
Donald Trump (l.) congratulating White House chief strategist Steve Bannon during the swearing-in of senior staff at the White House on January 22, 2017.  © MANDEL NGAN / AFP

Bannon used to be Trump's closest confidant and is considered the mastermind behind the 2016 campaign that turned the millionaire reality TV star into President of the United States.

Trump further cemented their bond when he used the last day of his presidency to issue a pardon for Bannon, absolving him of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges he was facing in a federal case.

To this day, Bannon is still one of the most outspoken Trump allies, who regularly speaks on behalf of the MAGA movement on his popular War Room podcast.

California governor Gavin Newsom moves to preemptively block "unlawful" Trump policies
Donald Trump California governor Gavin Newsom moves to preemptively block "unlawful" Trump policies

He will now join a growing list of Trump allies who have been convicted of crimes or sent to prison, including former advisor Peter Navarro, who is currently serving a four-month sentence for the same crime as Bannon.

After the hearing, Bannon gave a press conference outside the courthouse, where he vowed to appeal the case "all the way to the Supreme Court," claimed the trial was created with the sole intent of "shutting down" MAGA and Trump, and warned that "we are going to prevail" in November.

"There's not a prison built, or a jail built, that will ever shut me up," he added.

Cover photo: Collage: MANDEL NGAN / AFP & Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

More on Donald Trump: