In Washington, Steve Bannon, former adviser to ex-President Trump, has been sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of the US Parliament. He was detained for six months. Bannon had already been found guilty in July, but no sentence had yet been determined. He also faces a $6,500 fine.

Bannon, 68, is being convicted last year for refusing to appear before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol, nor for failing to produce documents supporting the investigation.

Discussion in the podcast

Bannon was fired as an adviser in 2017 but remained in touch with Trump even the day before the storm. In his podcast that day, he also said that protesting Trump’s election defeat “all hell would break loose.” Several people died in the storm.

According to the judge, Bannon accepts no responsibility for his actions. “Respect for Congress is an important part of our constitutional order,” the judge said, adding that the ruling was intended for a broader audience as well.

Earlier this year correspondents Marieke de Vries and Lucas Waagmeester did this retrospective of the Storming of the Capitol:

Bannon was provisionally released pending appeal. His lawyers had advocated a suspended sentence and house arrest. In July, Bannon said he was ready to testify, but it was too late for prosecutors.

Bannon was already speaking out of court about next month’s midterm elections. “On November 8, we will pass judgment on the illegitimate Biden regime,” he said, citing Trumpists’ belief that Democrat Biden fraudulently won the presidential election. However, there is no evidence of this.

More lawsuits

Bannon is involved in other lawsuits. He was charged with money laundering in New York State. Bannon is said to have pushed back money donated to build a US-Mexico border wall, a campaign promise by Trump.