Trump ex-adviser Bannon sentenced to four months for contempt of Congress
Former US president Donald Trump ex-adviser Steve Bannon was sentenced by a judge on Friday to four months in prison for refusing to cooperate with lawmakers investigating last year's US Capitol attack by a pro-Trump mob.
Reuters reports that US District Judge Carl Nichols, during a sentencing hearing, also ordered Bannon to pay a fine of $6,500.
Bannon was convicted by a jury in July on two counts of contempt of Congress for failing to provide documents or testimony. Each of the two counts was punishable by a minimum of one month and a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
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Prosecutors on Monday asked the judge to sentence Bannon to six months in prison, while Bannon's attorneys had sought probation.
A jury of eight men and four women convicted Bannon for refusing to testify or provide documents subpoenaed by the House of Representatives select committee probing the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and efforts by Trump's allies to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Bannon was a key player in Donald Trump's successful 2016 election campaign and later took the role of chief strategist at the White House. He left that position following a violent far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. Even after he left, the combative and controversial podcaster was still seen as one of Trump's most important allies.
