Steven K. Bannon, one of the most influential figures—if not the most influential figure—in the anti-globalist, populist-national movement in the United States, has been sentenced to four months behind bars and ordered to pay a fine of $6,500 after being found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress.
The decision, delivered by District Judge Car Nichols on Friday morning, comes after Bannon refused to comply with subpoenas related to the January 6th congressional hearings, insisting that private conversations between him and former president Donald Trump were protected by executive privilege.
Bannon, who helped found ‘The Movement,’ a Brussels-based right-wing populist umbrella organization that sought to assist, promote, organize, and unite conservative, anti-globalist parties across Europe during the run-up to the 2019 European Parliament elections, is set to remain free pending an appeal.
In case his legal team does not appeal, Bannon must surrender voluntarily by November 15th, the district court judge ruled.
Following court proceedings on Friday, Bannon said: “I want to say one thing—I respect the judge, the sentence he came down with today is his decision. I’ve been totally respectful of this entire process on the legal side.”
“Remember this illegitimate regime, their judgment day is on the eighth of November when the Biden administration ends,” he added, thanking those who had gathered to express their support.
Later on Friday, during his War Room podcast, which is one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S., Bannon told supporters and listeners: “Don’t pray for me. Pray for my enemies. They’re the ones who’ll need it.”
This is hardly the first time Bannon has called into question the legitimacy of the Biden administration. In August, during a keynote address at CPAC Texas, Bannon accused the “liberal-globalist establishment” of stealing the election from Trump, and said they are waging political and ideological war against working and middle-class Americans, as The European Conservative previously reported.
We are at war. We are in a political and ideological war. You can say whatever you want about it, but we are at war. Think about after high noon on the 20th of January 2021, when an illegitimate imposter took over 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and took over the administration.
There is no doubt in anybody’s mind who’s looked at the facts and information from Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald J. Trump.
Bannon’s lawyers, who previously described their appeal as “bulletproof,” argued that their client shouldn’t face any time behind bars since, in refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas, he was acting on the advice of council. Federal prosecutors, for their part, asked the judge to hand Bannon a six-month prison sentence and a $200,000 fine.
