DOJ requests 6-month prison sentence for Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress


The U.S. Department of Justice asked a federal judge on Monday to sentence Steve Bannon, the one-time chief strategist for former President Donald Trump, to six months in prison and a $200,000 fine for contempt of Congress.
The DOJ filed a sentencing memorandum in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where federal prosecutors said Bannon's refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House Committee investigating Jan. 6 was a "sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress."
"[Bannon] flouted the Committee's authority and ignored the subpoena's demands," the memorandum added. "To this day the defendant has not produced a single document to the Committee or appeared for testimony."
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The memorandum noted the Committee repeatedly asked Bannon to produce documents and testify about his alleged role in the Jan. 6 attack. When Bannon did not do so, the Committee subpoenaed him, but he similarly refused to comply, leading to his being indicted on contempt of Congress charges.
Bannon is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 21, which NBC noted will be exactly one year after he was held in contempt. Prosecutors argued that he "deserves severe punishment" for the charges he faces, but Bannon's lawyers are set to publish their own memorandum with a sentencing recommendation later Monday, Forbes reported.
This is not the only legal issue that the former White House adviser is facing, as Bannon was also charged in New York on charges of money laundering and conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty to those counts.
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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
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