October 18, 2024
As reported exclusively by The National Pulse, Donald Trump’s former White House Chief Advisor Steve Bannon has accused the Biden-Harris administration of illegally imprisoning him past his release date in violation of the First Step Act. Bannon claims that his continued incarceration is a deliberate political move meant to silence one of Trump’s most influential allies before the 2024 presidential election.
Bannon, who has begun serving a four-month sentence at the federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, on July 1, was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the House January 6th Committee. He and his lawyers claim his ongoing interrogation violates the First Step Act, a criminal justice reform bill signed into law by Trump in 2018. The First Step Act decreases mandatory minimum sentences and lets some nonviolent offenders out on parole early.
Bannon has taken direct aim at vice president Kamala Harris, calling her the “Queen of Mass Incarcerations” and accused her of ignoring key provisions of the First Step Act. Harris, he says, is leaving US citizens eligible for early release out in the cold and welcoming “hundreds of thousands of illegal migrant felons”.
On August 29, Bannon’s lawyers submitted a motion seeking his immediate release and noting the government’s lack of response to his petition. His attorneys insist that Bannon’s lengthy incarceration is political, and demand that the Bureau of Prisons release him immediately.
Bannon noted that Harris is ineligible to appeal to minorities and that criminal justice reform would cost her key votes in Philadelphia and Detroit, as well. Bannon argues that Harris has not done anything to help reunite families displaced by mass incarceration and that she has put her focus on other matters, such as immigration.
Steve Bannon’s daughter Maureen Bannon, too vented her anger on X (formerly Twitter) by saying the Biden-Harris administration illegally jailed her father.
Bannon’s ongoing legal case brings further venom to the hyper-political landscape of the 2024 presidential race. As Bannon asserts his First Step Act rights are being violated, the case will bring attention to wider debates around criminal justice reform and how political candidates should be treated within the legal system.
Further information is available on The National Pulse here.
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