DOJ Seeks 6 Month Prison Sentence For Steve Bannon

The Department of Justice is recommending a six-month prison sentence and $200,000 fine for Steven Bannon for defying a subpoena to appear before the House committee investigating the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The former Trump White House adviser was convicted of two counts of criminal contempt of Congress in July after ignoring the subpoena.

“For his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress, the Defendant should be sentenced to six months’ imprisonment ― the top end of the Sentencing Guidelines’ range ― and fined $200,000 ― based on his insistence on paying the maximum fine rather than cooperate with the Probation Office’s routine pre-sentencing financial investigation,” federal prosecutors wrote in their court filing on Monday.

Bannon claimed he was prevented from testifying because former President Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege, which federal prosecutors said would not apply to Bannon if Trump had.

When his trial date grew near, Bannon reversed course and said that Trump waived this right and that he was indeed free to cooperate. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves called this an unsuccessful, last-minute attempt to get his criminal prosecution dismissed.

“When his quid pro quo attempt failed, the Defendant made no further attempt at cooperation with the Committee — speaking volumes about his bad faith,” Graves said in the filing.

Bannon is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, which prosecutors noted is one year to the day after he was held in contempt by the House.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Read the sentencing memo below: