Steve Bannon, an early ally of former President Donald Trump, asked the Supreme Court on Friday to delay the start of his prison sentence as he challenges his guilty plea to contempt of court. to appear before the House Committee investigating the attack on the Capitol in January 2021.
The urgent request came after a federal appeals court panel rejected Mr. Bannon’s bid to avoid going to prison on July 1 to serve his four-month sentence. He appealed to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who oversees urgent appeals from the courts in Washington.
The Supreme Court asked the Justice Department to respond to the request by Wednesday, days before the court goes on summer break. The court denied a similar request from another former aide to Mr. Trump shortly after receiving a response in March.
Mr. Bannon was convicted nearly two years ago of two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused a subpoena from the House Investigative Committee on January 6, 2021, to testify and provide documents about his involvement in the efforts of former President Trump to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
Mr. Bannon has described the case as politically motivated, and his lawyer, David Schoen, has said that the case raises “serious constitutional questions” that should be considered by the Supreme Court.
If Bannon goes to prison next month, he will likely serve his full sentence before the Supreme Court has a chance to hear his case after it returns from summer recess beginning in late June, the filing said. by attorney Trent McCotter.
His lawyer says the former adviser did not ignore the subpoena, but was still negotiating with the Congressional Committee at the time the charges were filed against him. His former lawyer has said the request for mandatory congressional testimony was invalid because the former Republican president had said his conversations with Mr. Bannon were protected by executive privilege and the House Select Committee on Investigations into the events of 6 January had not allowed the presence of a lawyer for Mr. Trump during the testimony.
In documents filed with the Supreme Court, Mr Bannon’s lawyers have also previously argued that there is a “compelling public interest” in allowing him to remain free in the run-up to the 2024 election because Mr Bannon is a senior adviser. of Mr. Trump’s campaign.
Mr. Bannon’s appearance in prison has been postponed after he appealed the case. Federal Judge Carl Nichols ordered him to report to prison after an appeals court panel upheld the conviction for contempt of Congress.
Another aide to Mr. Trump, his former trade adviser Peter Navarro, was also convicted of failing to comply with a mandatory subpoena to testify before Congress. He appeared in prison in March to serve his four-month sentence after the High Court rejected his request to delay the start of his prison sentence.
The courts have rejected his argument for protection from executive privilege, saying that Mr. Navarro was unable to prove that his conversations with President Trump were, in fact, protected by executive privilege.
Steve Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state court over allegations he defrauded donors who allegedly gave him money to build a wall along the southern border of the United States. Mr. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges, and his trial has been postponed until at least the end of September./VOA
