Appeals court denies Steve Bannon's bid to stay out of prison
An appeals court denied former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s request to remain out of prison while appealing his conviction on contempt of Congress charges.
WASHINGTON — An appeals court denied former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s request to remain out of prison Thursday while he appeals his conviction on contempt of Congress charges.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied Bannon's request in a 2-1 ruling, with two judges deciding that the arguments in Bannon's request do not present a "substantial question" of law that could reverse his conviction.
"Bannon’s proposal—that to prove willful default the government must establish that the witness knew that his conduct was unlawful—cannot be reconciled with the Supreme Court’s approach to the statute," said the order by Judges Cornelia Pillard and Bradley Garcia.
A third judge, Justin Walker, dissented, writing that arguments about Bannon’s state of mind when he refused to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee presented a “close question” that could be decided in Bannon’s favor by the Supreme Court.
“That close question may well have mattered at Bannon’s trial,” Walker wrote.
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