Former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon has been released from prison after spending four months behind bars. Bannon, 70, was released from a Danbury, Connecticut, correctional facility on Tuesday, according to Benjamin O’Cone, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman who spoke to the BBC. Bannon, a conservative podcast host who played a key role in Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress in 2022 for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena related to a January 6 Capitol riot investigation. The New York Times reported that upon his release, Bannon stated, “If people think American politics has been divisive before, you haven’t seen anything.” Bannon is set to host his podcast, War Room, on Tuesday and hold a press conference in New York City. Prior to his imprisonment, Bannon consistently expressed loyalty to Trump and animosity towards Democratic figures. He claimed, “I’m a political prisoner of Nancy Pelosi, I’m a political prisoner of Merrick Garland; I’m a political prisoner of Joe Biden and the corrupt Biden establishment.” Bannon vowed to continue supporting Trump and his campaign while behind bars. The Trump loyalist alleged on his podcast in May that Democrats were “going to do everything to steal this election.” He has frequently and inaccurately asserted that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Bannon still faces legal challenges, having been indicted on charges of money laundering, fraud, and conspiracy in a separate New York state case in 2022. He is accused of deceiving donors to a fundraiser that promised to construct a section of a wall on the US-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
