Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon was released from prison early Tuesday, after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. He’s expected to resume his podcast Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. Bannon, 70, reported to prison July 1 after the Supreme Court rejected his bid to delay the prison sentence while he appeals his conviction. A jury found Bannon guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon called himself a “political prisoner.” “I am proud of going to prison,” he said, adding that he was standing up Attorney General Merrick Garland and a “corrupt” Justice Department. A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon's convictions in May. Bannon is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case. His legal team had argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege. Prosecutors say Bannon had left the White House years before and Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee. Bannon faces additional criminal charges in New York state court that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. A trial is scheduled to begin in December.
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