Steve Bannon asks US Supreme Court to delay prison term

Steve Bannon, a close ally of former president Donald Trump, has asked the Supreme Court to delay his four-month prison sentence while he appeals against his conviction.

He was found guilty nearly two years ago on contempt of Congress charges, after he defied a subpoena from the congressional committee investigating the 6 January riot in Washington.

A judge ruled that Bannon must report to prison to serve his sentence by 1 July. His appeal against that decision was denied on Thursday by a federal appeals court, so the Supreme Court remains Bannon’s last chance at delaying his prison term.

Peter Navarro, another Trump adviser, failed a similar bid to overturn his contempt of Congress sentence and is currently serving time in prison.

A court document filed on Friday notes that Bannon “is not likely to flee or pose a danger to the safety of any other person or the community” if his sentence is delayed while he appeals against his conviction.

As he works to delay his own prison sentence, Bannon has regularly alleged that he and Trump’s perceived political opponents will be incarcerated if the former president is re-elected.

On a recent episode of his War Room podcast, Bannon said that Andrew McCabe, an ex-FBI deputy director, “should be worried” that another Trump administration would “come and get you”.

He also said that federal agencies would be “purged” under Trump and that that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who led the effort to convict the former president for falsifying business records, would be “jailed”.

Trump later shared an article about Bannon’s comments to millions of his followers on social media. Both men have alleged that the White House has weaponised the justice department against them.