Trump's former eminence grise Steve Bannon heads to prison to serve his sentence

Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon went to a federal prison in the northeastern United States on Monday to begin his investigation. serve his sentence for obstruction à the parliamentary investigation into the assault on the Capitol.

“I am proud to go to prison today (…) if that is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden”, launched this populist ideologue, influential figure of the ultra-conservative movement, upon its arrival near the Danbury penitentiary establishment (State of Connecticut).

Steve Bannon, 70, who called himself a “political prisoner”, must now serve four months behind bars after the suspension of his sentence, a result of one of his appeals, was lifted by a judge.

Gray pants and black shirt, he was welcomed near the prison by a small crowd of supporters with “Trump 2024” flags and by one of the fiercest elected Trumpist to Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who hugged him in front of the cameras.

– Refusal to cooperate –

If he no longer officially works for Donald Trump, Steve Bannon again assured him of his support on Monday and promised that he would use all his influence to promote his re-election, in particular via his podcast “War Room”, which will continue without him.

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (d) and former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon outside the Danbury federal prison on July 1, 2024 in Connecticut © AFP – Yuki IWAMURA

“The most important thing is that President Trump will be sentenced to prison on July 11,” he warned, while New York judge Juan Merchan can also pronounce an alternative sentence to incarceration in the case of hidden payments to a porn star for which he was convicted.

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Before arriving at Danbury prison, he congratulated on his broadcast on the victory of the extreme right in the first round of the legislative elections in France, and the other good results of this movement in other countries during the European elections: “our movement is having its moment”, said -he rejoices.

Steve Bannon was sentenced in October 2022 to four months in prison for obstructing the investigative powers of Congress due to his refusal to cooperate with the parliamentary investigation into the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, a sentence confirmed on appeal on May 10, 2024.

– “All hell” –< /p>

The day before January 6, he predicted that “all hell” would break loose. And the day that hundreds of Donald Trump supporters stormed the seat of the US Congress, in an attempt to prevent the certification of Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 election, Steve Bannon spoke on the phone with the outgoing president.

Former advisor to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon (c), arrives for a press conference outside the Danbury federal prison, July 1, 2024 in Connecticut © AFP – Yuki IWAMURA

Less than two weeks later, Donald Trump pardoned his former adviser in a federal case of embezzlement of funds allegedly intended for the construction of a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico. He is still charged in a local aspect of the case in New York.

His entry into prison comes the day when the American Supreme Court, with a conservative majority, once again postponed the federal trial of Donald Trump for his alleged attempts to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Steve Bannon adds to list of relatives and former relatives of Donald Trump sentenced to stay behind bars in several separate cases linked to the former President of the United States, such as his other ex-adviser Peter Navarro, his former personal lawyer Michel Cohen, who became his sworn enemy, or even the Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg.

Donald Trump himself is indicted in four different cases, but only the trial for hidden payments to the star of Stormy Daniels porn films took place, and the other three are not expected to take place before the presidential election on November 5.

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