Supreme Court rejects Trump ally Steve Bannon’s bid to delay prison sentence

The Supreme Court has rejected a bid to delay a prison sentence for longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon as he appeals over his conviction for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the US Capitol insurrection.

Bannon filed an emergency appeal after a judge ordered him to report to prison on July 1 for a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack.

The court previously denied a similar request from another Trump aide.

The court rejected it without explanation, as is typical. There were no noted dissents.

Defence lawyers have argued the case raises issues that should be examined by the Supreme Court, including Bannon’s previous lawyer’s belief that the subpoena was invalid because former president Donald Trump had asserted executive privilege.

Prosecutors, though, say Bannon had left the White House years before and Mr Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee.

A jury found Bannon guilty nearly two years ago of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the January 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in the Republican ex-president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

US District Judge Carl Nichols allowed Bannon to stay free while he appealed against the verdict,but recently ordered him to report to prison after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions.

The panel later rejected Bannon’s bid to avoid reporting to prison.

Bannon is expected to appeal against his conviction to the full appeals court, and Republican House leaders have put their support behind stepping in to assert the January 6 committee was improperly created, effectively trying to deem the subpoena Bannon received as illegitimate.

Another Trump aide, trade adviser Peter Navarro, has also been convicted of contempt of Congress. He reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence after the Supreme Court refused his bid to delay the sentence.

Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state court alleging he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges, and that trial has been postponed until at least the end of September.