Federal prosecutors want Steve Bannon to be jailed for six months for contempt of Congress, according to a proposal filed Monday. In addition to hours of service, the government is asking for a $200,000 fine.
However, Judge Carl Nichols, appointed by Trump, on Friday sentenced Bannon to four months in prison and a $6,500 fine. A federal judge said Bannon will not have to serve the sentence until his appeal of his conviction is concluded, which Bannon asked for.
In court filings earlier this week, federal prosecutors outlined their reasons for the harsher sentence:
“As a result of his continued and malicious contempt of Congress, the defendant should be sentenced to six months in prison – the upper end of the sentencing guidelines range – and a fine of $200,000 – based on his insistence on paying the maximum fine and not before the routine sentencing with the Probation Office. Financial investigation,” federal prosecutors wrote in court filings.
They said he did not fully comply with probation office rules during the pre-sentencing investigation, and wrote that Bannon “freely answered questions about his family, professional life, personal background and health. But the defendant declined to disclose his financial records,” Instead, he insists that he is willing and able to pay any fines, including the maximum fine for each conviction.”
Prosecutors added: “The rioters who occupied the Capitol on January 6 did not just attack a building—they violated the rule of law on which this country is built and lives. The defendants ignored the special committee’s subpoena and its authority, exacerbated this attack.”
What happened in court on Friday: Federal prosecutors reiterated those arguments, arguing that Bannon should be fined $200,000 — above the $1,000-$100,000 guideline and the statutory maximum for the two contempt charges he faces.
Federal prosecutors pointed to Bannon’s refusal to provide the probation office with details about his financial situation as a reason why he deserved a particularly severe fine.
However, the judge sounded skeptical, arguing that Bannon didn’t really admit that the $200,000 fine was appropriate.
Federal prosecutors continued to press, telling judges that citizens were always putting themselves at risk in order to comply with subpoenas, but Bannon “was not under such threat” and “sniffed at Congress.”
Bannon was convicted by a jury in July of two counts of contempt of Congress.
CNN’s Holmes Lybrand contributed reporting to this post.