The Justice Department has filed a petition encouraging the Supreme Court to deny Steve Bannon’s emergency appeal to avoid prison after he was found guilty of contempt of Congress.
Bannon, a former senior adviser to former President Trump, was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress in 2022 after failing to appear before a House committee on January 6 and refusing to turn over documents. A federal judge sentenced him to four months in prison.
Federal prosecutors said Bannon’s appeal does not meet the “extraordinary” standard to merit staying out of prison during the appeal.
Bannon “responded to the subpoena with complete disregard,” Attorney General Elizabeth Prelogar told the court. “He did not produce any documents and refused to appear for the scheduled deposition.”
“He cannot make the requirement necessary to override the normal requirement that a convicted defendant begin serving his sentence,” she wrote.
Bannon’s emergency request states that he should be released as his appeal progresses, adding that prosecutors’ attempts to arrest him are politically motivated.
The Justice Department’s request comes just hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said House GOP leadership will file an amicus brief defending the appeal.
“The amicus brief will be filed after Bannon files a petition for rehearing en banc and will not support either party,” Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), and House Majority Whip , Tom Emmer (R-Minn.). .) said in a joint statement.
“This will remove certain arguments made by the House early in the litigation over the organization of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol during the previous Congress,” the group continued. “House Republican leadership continues to believe that Speaker Pelosi abused her authority in organizing the Select Committee.”
Republicans have long rejected the Jan. 6 select committee’s subpoenas, arguing that it was improperly constituted. So far, these arguments have not been successful in court.
Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro is serving a four-month sentence after being found guilty of contempt charges for similarly disregarding the Jan. 6 select committee subpoena. He unsuccessfully requested emergency aid from the Supreme Court.
If the court rules against Bannon, he is scheduled to appear in prison on July 1.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
