Bannon promises retribution if Trump returns
Washington — Trump ally Steve Bannon reported to federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut on Monday to begin serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Bannon arrived at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury around noon and was formally taken into custody.
Before beginning his sentence Monday, Bannon told supporters and reporters that he is “proud” to go to prison, blasting Attorney General Merrick Garland, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Biden.
“I am proud to go to prison,” Bannon told supporters and protesters Monday before reporting to prison. “If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny. If this is what it takes to stand up to the Garland corrupt, criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it.”
Asked what he expects from the next several months, Bannon responded, “a Trump victory.”
Bannon made an emergency request to the Supreme Court last month, after a federal appeals court rejected his effort to stay out of prison for contempt of Congress, but the highest court also rejected his plea.
Bannon was convicted two years ago on two counts of contempt of Congress, and was sentenced to four months behind bars in October 2022. Since then, Bannon and his legal team have exhausted all possible delays and appeals, to no avail.
Bannon’s contempt of Congress conviction stems from his refusal to comply with the House committee’s subpoenas, as congressional investigators sought his communications with former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, among other things. Bannon’s first day in prison comes as the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 opinion that Trump is protected by some level of immunity for his acts in office.
Bannon, age 70, is expected to be out of prison before he turns 71 in late November.
Cassandra Gauthier and Nikki Battiste contributed to this report
Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
