Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
DONALD’S TRUMP FORMER aide Steve Bannon faces possible prison time tomorrow, when a judge will set his sentence for refusing to testify in Congress’ probe of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Bannon, a longtime political strategist and vocal advocate for the Republican former president, was found guilty in July on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena to testify.
The Justice Department urged the court Monday to sentence the 68-year-old to six months in prison – the high end of sentencing guidelines but less than the maximum possible 12 months – and fine him $200,000, pointing out that Bannon had repeatedly sought to delay the proceedings by hinting he might cooperate.
Bannon “has pursued a bad-faith strategy of defiance and contempt,” the department said.
Bannon, who currently runs a streaming political commentary website, asked the court to sentence him to probation, saying he had rejected the congressional subpoena on the advice of his lawyers.
He also asked that the court place a stay on implementation of any sentence while his appeal of the original verdict goes ahead.
“Mr. Bannon respectfully asserts that a sentence of incarceration would violate his constitutional rights,” his submission said.
The investigation by a special House committee has depicted Bannon as knowing in advance of the plan by hardline Trump supporters to attack the Capitol on 6 January to prevent Democrat Joe Biden from being confirmed as the next president.
It also showed him advocating for Congress to block Biden – who defeated Trump in the November 2020 election – from becoming president.
“The rioters who overran the Capitol on January 6 did not just attack a building – they assaulted the rule of law upon which this country was built and through which it endures,” the Justice Department told the court in its sentencing memo.
“By flouting the Select Committee’s subpoena and its authority, the defendant exacerbated that assault.”
Bannon was one of the masterminds behind Trump’s original presidential campaign and victory in 2016.
He served in the White House for the first seven months of Trump’s term as chief strategist, leaving reportedly due to conflicts with other top staffers.
In 2020, Bannon was charged together with others with wire fraud and money laundering for taking millions of dollars for personal use that donors contributed to their scheme to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
While others were found guilty in the scheme, before leaving office in January 2021, Trump issued of blanket pardon for Bannon, leading to the dismissal of the charges against him.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Bannon the loose cannon. Lock him up.
This Bannon is a scary fella. This is an interesting read: Inside Steve Bannon’s ‘disturbing’ quest to radically rewrite the US constitution – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/oct/19/steve-bannon-us-constitution-tea-party-republican-state-legislatures
- “By taking over state legislatures, Republicans hope to pass conservative amendments that cannot be electorally challenged”
The idea is to invoke a route in the constitution that’s never been used to change the constitution: by getting 34 states to agree to a constitutional convention. Because small rural states like Wyoming with half a million citizens have an equal say as California with 40 million, this could be a way for the conservative US to try and cement their power – in the light of the changing demographics they cannot and will not adapt to – and make it immune to electoral challenge.
“The problem is, any time the administration swings back to Democrat – or radical progressive, or Marxist which is what they are – we are going to lose the gains. So you do the structural fix”, said a Tea Party founder, one of Bannon’s guests on his show.
19 states have already signed up for a constitutional convention, and six more are considering it, and after the coming midterms it could be even more. Who knows, Republicans could end up overplaying their hand with this plan, but it might also just as well end up working.
Aww, shame. Anyway…
have your say