Month: November 2022

The prison sentence of former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon was delayed on Monday after Bannon appealed his conviction on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison more than two weeks ago after being convicted of contempt of Congress in July. Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia ruled Monday to delay Bannon’s prison term until his appeal processes through the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Bannon – the adviser to former President Donald Trump – refused orders to appear from the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and was indicted more than a year ago for defying a congressional subpoena. On Friday, Bannon filed a notice to appeal his conviction. The grounds on which Bannon is appealing the conviction are not yet confirmed, though it is expected that his legal team will argue that he was acting on the advice of counsel to not appear before the House Committee.

Bannon had previously claimed to the committee was that he could not testify because of executive privilege.  His team said he was advised by attorney Robert Costello to defy the congressional subpoena and was simply doing as he was advised to do:  “The facts of this case show that Mr. Bannon’s conduct was based on his good-faith reliance on his lawyer’s advice. Mr. Costello provided advice to Mr. Bannon, and Mr. Bannon acted on that advice.”

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The Justice Department will send monitors to 24 states to ensure compliance with federal voting rights laws in Tuesday’s elections. The action comes as civil rights groups and the federal government have raised alarm over potential voter intimidation at some polling places and ballot boxes. The 64 jurisdictions where federal monitors will be dispatched include the three Florida counties of Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach.

The DOJ said Monday that the monitors are being sent to protect the rights of voters as they have for decades: “Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Division has regularly monitored elections in the field in jurisdictions around the country to protect the rights of voters. The Civil Rights Division will also take complaints from the public nationwide regarding possible violations of the federal voting rights laws through its call center.”

The DOJ said: “Complaints related to disruption at a polling place should always be reported immediately to local election officials (including officials in the polling place). Complaints related to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be reported immediately to local police authorities by calling 911.”  On Election Day, the public may report possible violations of the federal voting rights laws by a complaint form on the department’s website or by telephone toll-free at 800-253-3931.

Editorial credit: Trevor Bexon / Shutterstock.com