Former Trump aide Steve Bannon begins four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress

Steve Bannon, former top advisor to Donald Trump, greets supporters as he arrives to speak with media before he reports to prison at the U.S. federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, on July 1, 2024.Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

Steve Bannon, a former aide to Donald Trump, reported to prison on Monday to begin a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Bannon entered the federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, around 12:00 p.m., NBC News reported.

In July 2022, a Washington, D.C., federal jury found Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to provide testimony and records to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Bannon's sentence was stayed pending an appeal. But after a federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon's conviction in May, a federal judge in early June ordered him to report to jail by July 1.

Bannon had argued that he was not guilty of contempt because his lawyers advised him to not comply with the congressional subpoena based on the chance his testimony might be covered by executive privilege — a defense the appeals court rejected.

His last-ditch effort to avoid jail time while he appealed his conviction was rejected by the Supreme Court on Friday, when the justices released a one-sentence order denying Bannon's request.

Bannon was greeted by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and a mixed crowd of supporters and protesters when he arrived at a press conference across the street from the federal correctional institution in Danbury.

He told reporters he was "proud to go to prison" and had "no regrets," shortly before reporting to begin his sentence.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon speaks at a press conference outside the federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut, on July 1, 2024.Yuki Iwamura | Afp | Getty Images

Bannon, who served as chief strategist in the Trump White House until August 2017, is the second former Trump official to be jailed for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee.

Former Trump advisor Peter Navarro was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2022 for refusing to comply with the committee's subpoena. He is currently completing a four-month sentence in a federal prison in Miami, the Supreme Court having denied a similar appeal from him in April.

In an interview with NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard this weekend, Bannon repeated his arguments that the Jan. 6 committee's subpoenas "don't mean anything," and discussed his upcoming time behind bars.

"Part of my day will be doing what I have to do in prison to make sure I meet the rules and regulations," he said, "and the other time, I'll be 100% working to make sure President Trump is reelected."

Bannon told NBC News that he is set to be released from jail on Oct. 31 — five days before Election Day.