Will Bannon Get A Special Trump Family Prison Visit Too?

This is your TPM evening briefing.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 25: Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Donald Trump, appears in Manhattan Supreme Court to set his trial date on May 25, 2023 in New York City. Last year, Bannon was charged with money... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 25: Steve Bannon, former advisor to President Donald Trump, appears in Manhattan Supreme Court to set his trial date on May 25, 2023 in New York City. Last year, Bannon was charged with money laundering, conspiracy, and attempting to defraud in connection with the 'We Build the Wall' scheme. These state charges mirrored the federal charges for which Bannon was pardoned by former President Donald Trump. Bannon and his associates were accused of deceiving contributors in a private $25 million fundraising campaign aimed at constructing a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The trial date was set for May 27, 2024. (Photo by Curtis Means-Pool/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Justice Department prosecutors on Tuesday asked the judge who presided over former Trump White House strategist and far-right conspiracy theorist Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress case to order Bannon to begin serving his prison sentence.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols had placed a stay on Bannon serving his four-month prison sentence while he appealed his contempt of Congress conviction. But the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his conviction last Friday.

“Consequently, there is no longer a ‘substantial question of law that is likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial,'” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb Jr. wrote in a filing Tuesday, which was first reported by ABC News.

“I’m shocked they want to silence the voice of MAGA,” Bannon told ABC News in response to the DOJ filing. It’s unclear when Nichols may respond to the DOJ’s request, but Bannon’s attorney David Schoen had previously indicated that Bannon would try to get the case reheard by the full D.C. Circuit court, as the Washington Post noted. Bannon could also ask the Supreme Court to get involved, but the high court just dismissed a similar request last month from former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro. Navarro had asked the court to block him from having to serve his sentence while he appealed his conviction.

Both Bannon and Navarro were found in contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with requests and subpoenas for testimony and documents from the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, which was probing the Capitol attack at the time. Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison and fined $6,500 back in October 2022, but hasn’t had to report to prison while he appealed.

Before reporting to federal prison in Miami in March, Navarro held a press conference at a gas station near the Federal Prison Camp, during which he pointed out the unfairness of Bannon being able to delay his jail time while he appealed the case. The difference appears to be that Bannon hadn’t yet exhausted his appeal options.

But once he does report to prison, the former Trump campaign manager and Breitbart co-founder may not get the same special treatment as Navarro has gotten from the Trump family. As I noted yesterday, Donald Trump Jr. recently paid Navarro a visit in prison to check in and offer his support. But that may be because Trump still likes Navarro.

While they remain supporters of one another’s work, Trump and Bannon have been at odds since Bannon exited the White House. Bannon left primarily because he couldn’t get along with Jared Kushner, but Trump also reportedly blamed Bannon for information getting leaked to the media. He also reportedly got tired of Bannon claiming too much credit for Trump’s electoral victory in 2016.

“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my Presidency. When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind,” Trump said in 2018. “Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican Party.”

The Best Of TPM Today

Catch up on Josh Kovensky’s live coverage of the trial today: Michael Cohen Returns To Stand, Will Face Cross-Examination From Trump’s Lawyers

Takeaways: Trump Attorney Starts Off Cohen Cross With Limp Exam

The latest from Kate Riga: Musing That Racism Isn’t As Bad As It Was, 5th Circuit Mulls Further Neutering Voting Rights Act

Yesterday’s Most Read Story

Michael Cohen Expected To Take Stand In Donald Trump’s New York Criminal Trial — Josh Kovensky

What We Are Reading

Anti-abortion activist who led a clinic blockade is sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison — AP

Rudy Giuliani still hasn’t been served his Arizona indictment — WaPo

TikTok creators sue U.S. government, say divestiture law violates First Amendment — CNBC

Latest Where Things Stand

Notable Replies

  1. I am a bit puzzled that Trump hasn’t done more more to keep Navarro and now Bannon out of jail. I guess loyalty is a one way street.

  2. Avatar for daled daled says:

    He got too tired reading pardon requests that last day and never got to the part of the stack with Navarro and Bannon in it… /s

  3. A visit from the tRump fambly barber would be an outrageous act of kindness and would not go unnoticed.

    :triumph:

  4. Avatar for daled daled says:

    [Trump said,] “Steve was a staffer who worked for me after I had already won the nomination by defeating seventeen candidates, often described [by me and really who else do you need to tell you something like this] as the most talented field ever assembled in the Republican Party.”

    FIFY

  5. Will Stevie get to layer multiple orange jumpsuits?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

17 more replies

Participants

Avatar for discobot Avatar for daled Avatar for fgs Avatar for sooner Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for dont Avatar for chuck_voellinger Avatar for yskov Avatar for mch Avatar for billymac Avatar for benthere Avatar for ted Avatar for uneducated Avatar for fuashcroft Avatar for brian512 Avatar for not_so_fluffy Avatar for sxp151 Avatar for libthinker Avatar for northsidemick Avatar for ClutchCargo

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: