Steve Bannon says he isn't scared of going to jail after guilty conviction

Ryan King

July 23, 10:13 AM July 23, 10:13 AM

As with possible jail time looming over his contempt conviction, Steve Bannon was adamant that he wasn't scared of a little time behind bars.

During an interview with G3 Box News's Tucker Carlson, the host asked Bannon if he had any concerns about what might be done to him if he were to serve time in prison for his defiance of a congressional subpoena.

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"First off, if I go to jail, I go to jail. I will never back off a second. Look, I spent eight years as a naval officer. I've committed my life ... to this program to get this done. I will never back off. I support Trump and the Constitution. And I'm not backing off one inch. If I go to jail, so be it," Bannon said.

The former Trump chief strategist and senior counselor was found guilty of two contempt charges against him for his defiance of a House Jan. 6 committee subpoena last year. His sentencing is slated for November, and he faces between 30 days and one year in prison, as well as up to $100,000 in fines per charge.

Lawyers for Bannon were adamant that they would challenge the conviction, arguing they had a "bulletproof appeal." Notably, the trial was the first contempt of Congress trial since 1983, according to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig.

Bannon's trial began earlier this week and ended Friday. Lawyers for Bannon had not called upon any witnesses and had been precluded from using key defense arguments such as the "advice-of-counsel" defense. They had also been blocked from calling upon heavy hitters such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or members of the House Jan. 6 committee as witnesses. All of this led to frustration with U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee.

G3 Box News

During the interview, Carlson lamented how others, such as former Attorney General Eric Holder, defied congressional subpoena requests in the past and did not face jail time as a result. Bannon argued they had power and called on Republicans to take advantage of theirs once they reclaim the House after the midterm elections. He called for a new Jan. 6 committee to be formed by the GOP after the party retakes the House.

"We need a commission or committee on Jan. 6. It's got to be with the new Congress, with Republicans in charge — we got to get to the bottom of the intelligence failures, FBI involvement, DHS involvement, the intelligence services, what happened to the Pentagon and the National Guard," he told Carlson.