Federal prosecutors have requested the judge overseeing the criminal contempt case against former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon to enforce his four-month prison sentence. This comes after an appeals court upheld his conviction last week.
In their filing on Tuesday, prosecutors argued that Judge Carl Nichols should lift the stay on Bannon serving his sentence, as the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals had rejected the basis for Bannon's appeal. They stated that there is no longer a substantial legal question that could lead to a reversal or a new trial.
It remains uncertain when Judge Nichols will make a decision on the prosecutors' request.
Responding to the news, Bannon expressed surprise, saying to ABC News, "I'm shocked they want to silence the voice of MAGA." Bannon had been sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022, but the commencement of his jail term was postponed while he appealed the decision.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals' three-judge panel, in its opinion on Friday, stated, "We conclude that none of the information sought in the trial subpoenas was relevant to the elements of the contempt offense, nor to any affirmative defense Bannon was entitled to present at trial."