What happened
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols on Thursday ordered Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former campaign chair and White House chief strategist, to report to prison by July 1 to serve a four-month sentence after being convicted of contempt of Congress nearly two years ago.
Who said what
Bannon was convicted in July 2022 for "stonewalling a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol," Politico said. Bannon's initial sentence was paused while he appealed, but he "lost the first round of that challenge" last month, The New York Times said, prompting the order from Nichols, a Trump appointee.
Bannon vowed to fight his conviction "all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to," and accused the Justice Department of "shutting down the MAGA movement, shutting down grassroots conservatives, shutting down President Trump."
What next?
Bannon is "unlikely to be able to stave off prison" unless a higher court "steps in to block Nichols' decision," Politico said. He faces separate charges in Manhattan for allegedly defrauding investors in a private wall along the southern U.S. border.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for November 8Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include narco boats, and the new Lincoln monument
-
Why Trump pardoned crypto criminal Changpeng ZhaoIn the Spotlight Binance founder’s tactical pardon shows recklessness is rewarded by the Trump White House
-
Codeword: November 8, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Trump ordered to fully fund SNAPSpeed Read The Justice Department is appealing the decision
-
Judge issues injunction on DHS use of forceSpeed Read Agents can only use force under the ‘immediate threat of physical harm’
-
France targets Shein over weapons, sex dollsSpeed Read Shein was given 48 hours to scrub the items from their website
-
Trump tariffs face stiff scrutiny at Supreme CourtSpeed Read Even some of the Court’s conservative justices appeared skeptical
-
FAA to cut air travel as record shutdown rolls onSpeed Read Up to 40 airports will be affected
-
Democrats sweep top races in off-year electionSpeed Read A trio of nationally watched races went to the party
-
Trump to partly fund SNAP as shutdown talks progressSpeed Read The administration has said it will cover about 50% of benefits
-
SNAP aid uncertain amid court rulings, politicsSpeed Read Funding for additional SNAP benefits ran out over the weekend
