Conservative media personality and Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon has “only himself to blame” for the timing of his four month prison sentence amid this year’s presidential election, legal analyst and attorney Dave Aronberg said on Monday.
Bannon, the former White House chief strategist in Trump’s administration, was sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022 after he was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to respond to a subpoena issued to him by the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Bannon avoided starting his sentence while he fought against his conviction via appeals, arguing that he did not comply with the congressional subpoena on the basis of executive privilege and that he was merely relying on the advice of his former lawyer.
On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected Bannon’s last ditch effort to remain out of jail pending his appeal, which was dismissed by lower courts, meaning Bannon had to turn himself in by July 1 to start serving his time. Bannon has since reported to a federal prison in Connecticut on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump and President Joe Biden became their respective party’s presumptive 2024 presidential candidates earlier this year following a string of primary victories, likely setting up a rematch of the fiercely contested 2020 election.
In an appearance on MSNBC‘s Morning Joe on Monday, Aronberg, a state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, discussed Bannon’s prison sentence as he noted he will not be able to use his War Room podcast as a platform for Trump until just before Election Day, which is on November 5.
“Four months and he will be right in the heart of the campaign, he only has himself to blame because he could have served his time early on…So Bannon would have been better going straight to jail instead of dancing around the Monopoly board. He and his podcast, as a result, will be on hiatus the next four months, and he only has himself to blame for it,” Aronberg said.
Bannon’s War Room podcast is a political commentary show often known for its pro-Trump support and its far-right viewpoints, conspiracy theories, and strong criticism of the Democratic Party. It broadcasts live for 22 hours a week on various platforms including radio, Rumble and Real America’s Voice.
Bannon created the War Room podcast in 2019 to oppose Trump’s first impeachment trial. After Trump’s acquittal from the Senate, the podcast became a haven for COVID-19 misinformation and a rousing force for the “Stop the Steal” movement.
While Bannon’s shows average more than 100,000 viewers on conservative platforms Rumble and Gettr, and nearly a million downloads on Apple Podcasts, it has a significant following among right-wing and conservative audiences, particularly those aligned with Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement.
Bannon has frequently invited a variety of guests, including politicians, analysts, members of the Trump administration, conservative commentators, and activists who share his viewpoints. According to The New York Times, Bannon enlisted a team of nearly 20 guest hosts to continue the show while he serves his prison sentence.
The guests includes Andrew Giuliani, the son of Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani; Bannon’s daughter, Maureen; Noor bin Laden, the niece of Osama bin Laden, who is known for her belief in conspiracy theories; and Jeffrey Clark, who served in the Justice Department under Trump and faces criminal charges in Georgia in connection with efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss there.
Newsweek has reached out to War Room podcast and Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
When asked on Monday by MSNBC co-host Mika Brzezinski about Bannon’s position as a “key communicator of Donald Trump’s threats of retribution,” Jeremy Peters, a national reporter for the Times, noted the importance Bannon’s podcast and other conservative shows play in Trump’s political movement.
“Key communicator is the best way to describe his role in the MAGA movement. After Rush Limbaugh died, there was never anyone who stepped into that void in talk radio which is an important medium of communication for conservatives and Trump’s movement. Bannon, arguably, more than anyone else in A.M. radio or the podcast world has filled Limbaugh’s role and he remains the chief messenger of Donald Trump’s vitriol, all of his grievances, all of these conspiracies about, you know, a deep state coming to get you. That’s what Bannon voices and he does it very effectively,” Peters said.
During Thursday night’s CNN presidential debate against President Joe Biden, Trump said that his “retribution is going to be success. We’re going to make this country successful again, because right now it’s a failing nation.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with ABC News’ This Week on Sunday, Bannon said he has no regrets about defying the congressional subpoena while describing himself as a “political prisoner.”
“If it took me going to prison to finally get the House to start to move, to start to delegitimize the illegitimate J6 committee, then, hey, guess what, my going to prison is worth it,” he said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The post Steve Bannon Made Wrong Move Delaying Jail Sentence: Attorney appeared first on Newsweek.