Washington, Jun. 7, (dpa/GNA) – The former chief strategist of ex-US president Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, is to begin his four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress on July 1, a judge in the US capital Washington decided on Thursday.
The ultra-right journalist and conspiracy theorist Bannon was convicted around two years ago for ignoring a subpoena from the Committee of Inquiry into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and failing to provide requested documents.
Bannon appealed against the judgement but failed in court a few weeks ago. The 70-year-old said on Thursday that he would not be silenced and would go all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
It is possible that Bannon’s defence will file further motions in court that could delay his imprisonment.
Trump’s former economic adviser Peter Navarro began his four-month prison sentence back in March. He was also found guilty of contempt of the US Congress.
Trump’s supporters stormed the seat of parliament on January 6, 2021. At the time, Congress formally confirmed the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election. Trump riled up his supporters during a speech by claiming that he had been robbed of his election victory through massive fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots.
To this day, Trump does not recognize his defeat by Biden. He is hoping to move back into the White House after the presidential election in November.
A committee of the US House of Representatives investigated the Capitol storming and called on Trump allies such as Bannon and Navarro to co-operate, but they refused.
Trump has been indicted for the actual events surrounding January 6, 2021, in Washington. If convicted, the 77-year-old could face decades in prison. However, the Republican has managed to use legal dodges to delay the trial.
Last week, Trump was found guilty of all 34 charges in a criminal case concerning hush money payments in New York.