Political pundit Steven Bannon is set to be released from prison next week – just in time for the presidential election.
Bannon had sought to spend the final 10 days of his 120-day sentence under home confinement, but the firebrand learned this week that his bid was unsuccessful, meaning he’ll remain behind bars until Oct. 29, according to reports.
The host of “Steve Bannon’s War Room” applied for the slightly earlier release based on First Step Act credits, which he accrued while incarcerated for contempt of Congress.
The First Step Act is a Trump-era criminal justice reform initiative intended to cut unnecessarily long federal sentences and improve federal prison conditions.
On Monday, the Bureau of Prisons informed Bannon’s lawyers that their client must finish out his sentence behind bars, according to a letter obtained by CNN.
And on Tuesday, Trump-appointed District Court Judge Carl Nichols ruled, “the Court concludes that the relief the Defendant seeks is not warranted,” the Daily Mail reported.
Bannon, 70, slammed the Harris-Biden administration in a statement last week to The National Pulse.
“Kamala Harris is the ‘Queen of Mass Incarcerations.’ Detested by Black and Hispanic men who are refusing to turn out and vote for her. She has done nothing to implement President Trump’s heroic First Step Act, in fact welcoming hundreds of thousands of hardened illegal migrant criminals while allowing U.S. citizens eligible for early release to rot in prison. No mass deportations, but continual mass incarcerations,” he wrote.
The longtime Trump ally was sent to the Danbury Correctional Institution in July following his failure to respond to a Congressional subpoena to testify in front of the January 6th congressional committee.
The radio host was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress: one count for refusing to testify to the Jan. 6 committee and a second for refusing to provide documents to that committee.
Bannon is appealing the guilty conviction despite his four-month stay in the slammer coming to an end.
Bannon’s cause got a boost from the House of Representatives a month into his sentence. The House filed a brief back in July arguing that any subpoenas issued by January 6th House select committee are illegitimate. Those Republicans argued that the construction of the committee went against chamber’s rules.
Harris voted against the First Step Act as the junior senator from California.
A number of Trump associates have been tagged with contempt of Congress – including former Attorney General Bill Barr, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, White House Adviser Peter Navarro, and former White House Deputy chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino.
Peter Navarro was convicted on those contempt of Congress charges and served his four-month sentence earlier this year.
Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state – where he allegedly duped supporters who donated money to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
That indictment claims that Bannon diverted donors’ money from building a border wall towards the pockets of the head executive of the initiative, Brian Koflage.
Koflage, 42, pleaded guilty in April 2023 to federal fraud and tax charges. He admitted to using $350,000 in donor money for expenses such as a boat, luxury SUV, jewelry, and cosmetic surgery. Andrew Badolato was also sentenced in connection with the “We Build The Wall” campaign.
Bannon has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges in that case.
