Steve Bannon reports to federal prison for contempt of Congress
July 1 (UPI) -- Steve Bannon, who served as a political strategist for Donald Trump when he was president, reported to a federal prison in Danbury, Conn., on Monday to begin a four-month sentence because he defied a congressional subpoena.
He was driven in a black van to Federal Correctional Institution Danbury and spoke outside at about noon.
"I am proud to go to prison," Bannon, told supporters and protesters. "If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny. If this is what it takes to stand up to the [Merrick' Garland corrupt, criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, to Joe Biden, I'm proud to do it."
Bannon will turn 71 before he is scheduled to get out of prison in November.
The low-security facility is populated with white-collar criminals, though it can also include some violent offenders and sex offenders.
Another Trump administration adviser, Peter Navarro, was convicted and began serving a four-month sentence in Miami on March 19.
Bannon and Navarro were convicted for not complying with subpoenas issued to them by the now-defunct House Select Committee that investigated the riots on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court on Friday denied an effort by Bannon to avoid reporting to prison while he challenges his conviction before the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.
Bannon said he was relying on advice from his attorneys to not respond to the subpoena until lawmakers worked out Trump's claims of executive privilege in the matter.
Bannon has defended Trump on his podcast though he doesn't have a formal role in the campaign.
In prison, Bannon doesn't have access to the Internet, according to people familiar with the prison. They can send emails without attachments, but they pass through a monitored system, on a delay.
They also can have phone access in 15-minute increments on a wall-mounted phone.
"We're a populist movement. This is all about the audience," Bannon said Monday. "Whether I never come back ever to the 'War Room' won't make a difference."
Trump, in his final hours at the White House on 2021, granted clemency to Bannon on another case, which hadn't gone to trial.
Bannon was arrested and charged in August 2020 for allegedly defrauding donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection to an online crowdfunding campaign known as "We Build the Wall" in 2018.
Prosecutors accused Bannon of receiving more than $1 million through the campaign, of which he used hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover personal expenses.
