US seeks ‘most severe’ sentence for former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt case

Steve Bannon, a long-time adviser to former US President Donald Trump, should go to prison for six months and pay a US$200,000 fine after a jury found him guilty of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena, according to a government sentencing memorandum.

Bannon’s refusal to cooperate with the House January 6 committee “has exacerbated the assault on the Capitol”, the government said in a harshly worded document filed in federal court in Washington on Monday.

The Justice Department said it was recommending the most severe sentence allowed under guidelines for the two counts of contempt.

Bannon, a prominent right-wing media personality who is credited with helping Trump win the presidency in 2016, was found guilty in July for refusing to testify and hand over documents to the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.

“To this day, he continues to unlawfully withhold documents and testimony that stand to help the Committee’s authorised investigation to get to the bottom of what led to January 6 and ascertain what steps must be taken to ensure that it never happens again”, the government said in the filing. “That cannot be tolerated”.

Bannon “has never taken a single step to comply with the Committee’s subpoena and has acted in bad faith throughout by claiming he was merely acting on former President Trump’s instructions – even though former President Trump’s lawyer made clear he was not”, according to the filing.