The Justice Department asked a federal judge on Tuesday to begin former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s four-month prison sentence, CNN reported.
Bannon was found guilty of defying a subpoena issued by Congress' January 6th select committee investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Bannon had used his podcast to promote Trump's false election claims, warning a day before the insurrection that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow."
The judge presiding over Bannon’s trial, Justice Carl Nichols, had initially paused his sentence because the former adviser had appealed his conviction, claiming he enjoyed immunity via executive privilege thanks to his previous job at the White House. But a three-judge panel of the D.C Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument, “saying the former aide and prominent podcaster had no legal rationale for his blanket refusal to appear before the Jan. 6 committee,” Politico reported.
In its own court filing, the Justice Department states that a person found guilty must begin the term of their imprisonment.
“The D.C. Circuit rejected defendant’s appeal on all grounds," the filing noted.
It is unclear when Bannon might have to report to prison. He would join another former Trump advisor, Peter Navarro, who likewise defied a Jan. 6 subpoena.
