Steve Bannon, the controversial figure who once served as the chief strategist for former President Donald Trump, walked out of federal prison early Tuesday morning.
His release comes after serving a four-month sentence for two counts of contempt of Congress. The sentence resulted from his refusal to comply with a subpoena related to the investigation of the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Bannon, now 70, was imprisoned at FCI Danbury in Connecticut after being convicted in July 2022 on two counts of contempt. He even initially expressed a sense of pride about facing prison time, stating before his sentence began on July 1 that he was “proud to go.”
However, CBS reported that Bannon tried multiple times to shorten his time behind bars, and attempted to stay his sentence just weeks prior to his release.
The legal challenges for Bannon are far from over. He currently remains embroiled in a separate case in New York, where he faces charges related to the alleged defrauding of donors in a “We Build the Wall” campaign, as previously covered by DX.
The “We Build the Wall” campaign aimed to fund a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, but Bannon is accused of committing money laundering, conspiracy and fraud in connection with the fundraising effort. The indictment alleged that Bannon “solicited donations and raised money from donors throughout the United States … based on the false representation that none of the money donated to WeBuildTheWall, Inc. would be used to pay” the salary of the organization’s then-CEO, Brian Kolfage.
Kolfage, who had initially plead not guilty to embezzlement charges related to the “We Build The Wall Inc.” campaign, eventually pled guilty in May of 2022 to tax and wire fraud.
Bannon’s past is also marked by a federal case from 2020 in which he was convicted but later received a pardon from Trump in the final days of his presidency. Although Trump is running for president again, a potential victory would not grant him the power to pardon Bannon for state-level charges, according to U.S. law.