Trump ally Steve Bannon petitioned the Supreme Court on Friday to stay out of prison while he appeals his conviction for contempt of Congress for not complying with a subpoena from House Democrats’ Jan. 6 committee.
His lawyers told the justices that Mr. Bannon seeks to continue to be free on bail pending his appeal.
“There is no dispute that Mr. Bannon ‘is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community if released’ — indeed, he has been out on release for years now without incident, and his ‘crime’ was nonviolent,” the petition read.
Earlier this month, Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, ordered Mr. Bannon to surrender to prison to serve a four-month sentence for defying the subpoena after an appeals court upheld his conviction.
But the judge said the one-time senior White House aide could request a stay of the judge’s order, suggesting the jail surrender could be delayed.
Mr. Bannon was convicted in 2022 for declining to appear for a deposition with the House Jan. 6 committee probing the U.S. Capitol attack in 2021 and refusing to provide documents related to challenging the 2020 election results.
He is ordered to turn himself in to jail on July 1. His lawyers requested the Supreme Court act quickly in his request to stay free while his conviction is challenged.
The justices requested the government file a response by July 26.
A federal appeals court didn’t grant him relief, prompting the petition Friday to the high court.
Peter Navarro, who served as President Trump’s National Trade Council director, already began serving time in prison over the same conviction.
He asked the Supreme Court to review his case and keep him from jail while the appeal is pending, but the high court didn’t agree.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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