Former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s attempt to avoid serving prison time by appealing to the Supreme Court is unlikely to succeed, according to legal expert Joey Jackson. Bannon was sentenced to four months in jail for contempt of Congress after refusing to respond to a subpoena issued by the House Select committee investigating the January 6 attack. Bannon’s appeal is based on the argument that he was following the advice of his former lawyer to invoke executive privilege. However, this argument was already rejected in a similar case involving former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who is currently serving a four-month prison term for the same offense.
Jackson believes that Bannon’s appeal to overturn his conviction is likely to be rejected by the appellate court, as it was in Navarro’s case. Despite being sentenced nearly two years ago, Bannon has not served any prison time, pending the outcome of his appeals. Bannon recently requested to stay out of prison until his appeal is concluded, arguing that his case is politically motivated and that imprisoning him would impact the 2024 election between Trump and President Joe Biden. The government maintains that Bannon had a legal obligation to comply with the congressional subpoena and that his refusal to do so was deliberate, leading to his conviction.
Bannon’s legal team claims that imprisoning him would restrict his ability to serve as a political commentator and adviser in the upcoming national campaign. However, the government argues that Bannon had a responsibility to testify before the House Select Committee and provide documents, which he failed to do. Following Bannon’s conviction, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves emphasized that the subpoena issued to him was not optional, and that the jury had decided that he must face the consequences of his refusal to comply.
In conclusion, Bannon’s chances of avoiding prison time through his appeal to the Supreme Court appear slim, as legal experts believe that his arguments have already been assessed and rejected in similar cases. Despite his efforts to delay his sentence and challenge the validity of his conviction, Bannon may ultimately have to serve his four-month jail term for contempt of Congress. The legal battle surrounding Bannon’s case reflects the ongoing tension between congressional oversight and executive privilege, as well as the consequences individuals may face for failing to comply with lawful subpoenas.
