Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, was released from prison early Tuesday, after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, according to Christy Breshears, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. His representatives said he planned to hold a press conference later today in Manhattan. He is also expected to resume his podcast on Tuesday.
Bannon, 70, went to prison on July 1 after the Supreme Court rejected his attempt to postpone his prison sentence while he appealed his conviction.
A jury found Bannon guilty in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit to testify before the House committee on January 6 and a second for refusing to turn over documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss to Joe. Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon described himself as a “political prisoner.”
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“I’m proud to go to prison,” he said at the time, adding that he stood up to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the “corrupt” Department of Justice.
Trump, a Republican, is seeking to regain the presidency in the elections scheduled for next week against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions in May. Bannon is now asking the full Court of Appeals to hear his case. His legal team argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump asserted his executive privilege. However, prosecutors say Bannon left the White House years ago, and Trump never invoked executive privilege before the committee.
Bannon faces additional criminal charges in New York state court, alleging that he defrauded donors who provided money to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. The trial in this case is scheduled to begin in December.
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