Trump ally released from prison

Steve Bannon, the one-time chief strategist for former President Donald Trump, has been released from prison after serving a four-month sentence, according to media reports.  

Bannon was put behind bars for defying a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the 2021 US Capitol riot. He was originally sentenced in October 2022 for contempt of Congress, but was granted bail while appealing his conviction.  

He left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut early in the morning on Tuesday and was met by his daughter Maureen, CNN reported, citing a source. Bannon is expected to hold a news conference later in the day in New York and resume his radio show on Tuesday. His release comes just a week before the election.   

The conservative host of the ‘War Room’ podcast, Bannon has remained a vocal supporter of the former president, calling himself a “political prisoner of Joe Biden and the corrupt Biden establishment.”   

He had pledged to continue to influence the presidential race from behind bars, claiming that “they’re going to do everything to steal this election.” He also described the contempt proceedings as a “show trial.”  

A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions in May but he is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case.  

The former White House adviser faces additional criminal charges in a New York state court, as he stands accused of defrauding donors who contributed to a campaign to raise money for a wall on the border between the US and Mexico.  

Bannon has pleaded not guilty to charges including money laundering, conspiracy and fraud. The trial in the case is scheduled for December.