- The Washington Times - Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Steve Bannon, a key ally to former President Donald Trump, was released Tuesday from federal prison after serving four months for balking at a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Mr. Bannon was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress in 2022, but his incarceration was delayed for two years during appeals.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, ordered him to report to prison in midsummer. Now, the former Trump White House adviser and podcaster is a free man one week before Election Day.

Mr. Bannon, 70, served his stint at a low-security prison in Danbury, Connecticut. He entered its gates days before President Biden dropped his re-election bid.

A lot has changed since then, with Vice President Kamala Harris locked in a tight race with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Bannon is best known now for “Bannon’s War Room,” a podcast on which he’s downplayed the Jan. 6 attack and echoed Mr. Trump’s concerns about election fraud.

Mr. Bannon, a former investment banker, rose to prominence through his work at the conservative Breitbart publication.

He served as a strategist in the White House in 2017 before his departure due to a falling out with Mr. Trump. However, Mr. Bannon remains a loyal supporter and uses his platform to promote the former president.

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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