Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon will report to prison on July 1 to serve a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the January 6 select committee.
NEW from @thenatpulse: BREAKING: Steve Bannon Must Report to Jail by July 1, Says Judge.
Former Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon, ……
READ ON:https://t.co/OapRD7Am1r
— Raheem. (@RaheemKassam) June 6, 2024
NBC News reports:
A federal judge on Thursday ordered former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to report to prison on July 1 to begin a four-month prison sentence for defying subpoenas from the Jan. 6 Committee after a higher court rejected his appeal.
Bannon was found guilty on two counts of contempt of Congress in July 2022 for defying the committee’s subpoenas, but his sentence had been put on hold while he appealed the case. U.S. District Judge Carl said Thursday he did not believe that the “original basis” for his stay of the imposition of Bannon’s sentence existed any longer after an appeals court upheld Bannon’s conviction. Bannon could still appeal Nichol’s ruling that he must report to prison.
“‘The defendant chose allegiance to Donald Trump over compliance with the law [sic],’” Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston…told jurors.” That’s not going to sound so bad soon. The Jan. 6 Committee was an unlawful sham. Sentence ends before Election Day. https://t.co/YCMHtQi8vQ
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) June 6, 2024
Are we reading this correctly? Two counts of contempt of Congress? Do you know who else is currently in contempt of Congress? Hunter Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
This should concern more people. pic.twitter.com/sgoIeDgHYT
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) June 6, 2024
Steve Bannon was just ordered to prison for ignoring a Congressional subpeona.
Hunter Biden ignored a subpeona for months and wasn’t sentenced to prison. pic.twitter.com/D18aXuTKT8
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 6, 2024
A judge just sent Steve Bannon to prison for ignoring a congressional subpoena.
Hunter did the same thing. No prison.
Fauci lied under oath. No prison. pic.twitter.com/8i0118diXD
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 6, 2024
And all we’ll hear from the mainstream media is how Donald Trump, if re-elected, will abuse his power to prosecute and jail his political opponents.
Steve Bannon was ordered to report to prison on July 1. This is another egregious example of the third-world weaponization of our justice system that Joe Biden has used to silence his opponents since day one. Biden retaliates against American citizens he disagrees with by turning… https://t.co/JhJ8ApdtLd
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) June 6, 2024
Biden retaliates against American citizens he disagrees with by turning them into political prisoners. The country is becoming unrecognizable. This cannot continue.
It’s some coincidence that a World War II veteran told a reporter today on the anniversary of D-Day that he doesn’t recognize the country anymore.
Will Merrick Garland go to prison for contempt?
We all know the answer.
— Kasia Z. Zasada 🇺🇸🇵🇱 (@ZuzaZasada) June 6, 2024
Garland was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the Robert Hur recordings.
This is disgraceful. It’s time for Republicans to unite and fight back against this lawfare. https://t.co/V6RuAHG4DX
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) June 6, 2024
Bannon gets prison time, while Hunter and Fauci walk free. Justice should be blind, not selective. This just shows how the system is rigged against those who challenge the establishment.
— MAG2A us (@armsparts2) June 6, 2024
Eric Holder (Obama official) did the same thing
— Joshua Robinson (@JRobFreedom) June 6, 2024
How long did Eric Holder spend in prison?
“No one is above the law”
— Jack (@jackunheard) June 6, 2024
Hunter Biden made a spectacle of holding a press conference on the steps of the Capitol where he was supposed to be testifying. It couldn’t be any more in-your-face if they tried.
You see the double standards.
90% of Congress ignores the double standards.
Media applauds and covers for the double standard.
— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) June 6, 2024
Ok so everybody who did the same thing needs to immediately go to prison. Surely there is a list somewhere, lol
— Mild Mannered Maniac (@80sGeek) June 6, 2024
Time to DISMANTLE the DOJ.
It’s corrupt to the core and completely unfixable.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 6, 2024
Remember this when the left says “There isn’t a two tiered system of justice, Hunter is on trial!” 🤡
— AMAC (@AMACforAmerica) June 6, 2024
And will get a slap on the wrist, told to stay off crack, and walk free.
Defund the DOJ. It only serves to persecute innocent conservatives.
The DOJ does not represent the interests of all American people.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) June 6, 2024
They’re not even hiding the bias anymore. I think they’re doing it on purpose because their base loves it. But it’s not going to win them anymore voters!
— Lorrie Ann 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇸 (@LorrieAnn25) June 6, 2024
Independents see the double standard.
This is how a banana republic looks, kids
— Iron Range Rocks and Cows (@angry_ande) June 6, 2024
I’m starting to see a pattern here…
— Nick Charles (@ThinMan69) June 6, 2024
what a coincidence that they would silence Bannon just before the election.
— Swabby McSweetie (@SwabbyMcSweetie) June 6, 2024
For what it’s worth, Bannon said outside the courthouse that this won’t shut him up.
Steve Bannon ordered to surrender to prison by July 1st: “All of this is about one thing, shutting down the MAGA movement, grassroots conservatives and Pres Trump. Not only are we winning, we are going to prevail. There’s not a prison or jail built that can shut me up.” pic.twitter.com/KhauNS9gV3
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) June 6, 2024
They will jail every Trump surrogate before the election if they get their way.
— SazzygirlinCali (@RjbRocklin) June 6, 2024
The consensus in the replies seems to be that Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, and Hunter Biden were all held in contempt of Congress and nothing happened to them. This way, they can shut down Bannon’s popular podcast for four months during election season.
Here’s a longish post to close things out:
Remember, this is a misdemeanor.
For the Biden Administration, if this stands, it’s mission accomplished:
Take Bannon out for close to the full span of the run up to the 2024 presidential election. And even if Trump grants him a pardon later, they can’t give him a time machine… https://t.co/BkjjgcTPC4
— Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) June 6, 2024
… they can’t give him a time machine to undo time already spent under lock and key.
Think about where that leaves the country.
The Supreme Court needs to intervene in this attempt to shut down a key voice before the election. And they can do a lot simply by granting a stay pending resolution of a cert petition and then Bannon could stay free until late September at least.
I’m sure Bannon’s lawyers have their cert petition up on the drafting table now. (The DC Circuit likely will deny a stay.)
And the Supreme Court should go farther and grant cert in their pre-October Term 2024 orders list at the end of the Summer. The DC Circuit’s Licavoli decision should be reversed and the Supreme Court should use this occasion to reinforce that lower courts cannot empty the word “willfully” of all meaning.
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