NEW YORK, Oct 29 (Reuters) – Steve Bannon, a long-time ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, was released on Tuesday from prison, where he had been serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress.
Bannon, 70, was released one week before the U.S. presidential election pitting Trump, a Republican, against Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat.
His release from a low-security facility in Danbury, Connecticut, frees Bannon to resume his role as one of the former president’s most prominent cheerleaders, and most aggressive critics of Trump’s opponents.
“I’m finally out of being a political prisoner by the Merrick Garland, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi regime,” Bannon said at a news conference, referring to the U.S. attorney general and former House of Representatives speaker, as well as to Harris.
“I am far from broken,” Bannon added. “I have been empowered by my four months at Danbury federal prison.” He has resumed hosting his “War Room” podcast.
Bannon was a key adviser to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, and was Trump’s chief White House strategist in 2017 before a falling-out that they later patched up.
He said they spoke on Tuesday morning, but did not provide details.
Bannon was convicted in 2022 on two misdemeanor counts for defying a subpoena from the U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
House investigators had sought information from Bannon following his prediction the day before the attack that “all hell is going to break loose tomorrow.”
Bannon remained free during his appeal, arguing that he had no intent to commit a crime because his lawyer had told him that he need not comply with the subpoena.
In May, a federal appeals court in Washington upheld Bannon’s conviction, saying that ignoring subpoenas could “hamstring” Congress’ power to investigate by making it harder to prosecute witnesses who spurn congressional investigations.
The Jan. 6 attack was led by Trump supporters aiming to halt Congress’ certification of Trump’s 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Bannon viewed the Democratic-led committee’s probe as politically motivated.
Peter Navarro, a former Trump trade adviser, also served a four-month prison sentence for defying a subpoena from the same committee.
Bannon still faces criminal fraud charges from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for allegedly deceiving donors who contributed more than $15 million to a private fundraising drive for Trump’s signature wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
He has pleaded not guilty.
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REUTERS
