Prosecutors want Bannon to be sentenced to six months - CNN

CNN  — 

Federal prosecutors privation Steve Bannon, a erstwhile apical advisor to erstwhile President Donald Trump, to beryllium sentenced to six months successful situation for contempt of Congress, according to a proposal filed Monday.

In summation to serving time, the authorities is seeking $200,000 successful fines.

“For his sustained, bad-faith contempt of Congress, the Defendant should beryllium sentenced to six months’ imprisonment – the apical extremity of the Sentencing Guidelines’ scope – and fined $200,000 – based connected his insistence connected paying the maximum good alternatively than cooperate with the Probation Office’s regular pre-sentencing fiscal investigation,” prosecutors wrote successful their tribunal filing connected Monday.

They said helium did not afloat comply with the probation bureau successful their pre-sentencing investigation, penning that Bannon “freely answered questions astir his family, nonrecreational life, idiosyncratic background, and health. But the Defendant refused to disclose his fiscal records, alternatively insisting that helium is consenting and capable to wage immoderate good imposed, including the maximum good connected each number of conviction.”

Prosecutors added: “The rioters who overran the Capitol connected January 6 did not conscionable onslaught a gathering – they assaulted the regularisation of instrumentality upon which this state was built and done which it endures. By flouting the Select Committee’s subpoena and its authority, the Defendant exacerbated that assault.”

Bannon was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage successful July of 2 counts of contempt of Congress. His sentencing is acceptable for Friday.

Prosecutors besides said that erstwhile subpoenaed, Bannon’s lawyer sought an lawyer for the erstwhile president to question an assertion of enforcement privilege, “even though enforcement privilege could not perchance licence the Defendant’s full noncompliance.”

Bannon, the authorities said, received a missive saying privilege whitethorn beryllium of contented but that the missive did not nonstop immoderate circumstantial papers to beryllium withheld due to the fact that Trump’s lawyer was not definite determination were immoderate privileged documents oregon accusation astatine all. The authorities added the erstwhile president “did not judge the Defendant had immunity from testimony.”

Prosecutors besides revealed that earlier Bannon’s proceedings this summer, a last-minute connection to comply with the committee subpoena “had strings attached.”

“Namely, that it would necessitate the committee and the Government to hold that if the Defendant complied with the subpoena, the Government would hold and yet disregard his trial,” according to the caller filing. The authorities got the accusation from an interrogation with a committee staffer connected October 7.

A lawyer for Bannon reached retired to the January 6 committee conscionable earlier Bannon’s contempt of Congress proceedings this summertime seeking to person the legislature committee to assistance hold and yet disregard the trial, prosecutors said successful the sentencing memo.

Bannon lawyer Evan Corcoran spoke to the committee’s apical investigator, Tim Heaphy, asking whether the committee would articulation with Bannon’s lawyer successful a petition to disregard the contempt proceedings if Bannon would comply with the panel’s subpoena by providing documents and testimony, Heaphy told FBI investigators successful a voluntary interrogation past week.

Heaphy responded that Bannon’s squad should scope retired to the prosecutors, portion declining to hold to articulation immoderate effort.

“My takeaway is that Bannon knows that this connection for a continuance and eventual dismissal of his proceedings is apt a non-starter, which prompted him to telephone america to research enactment arsenic leverage,” Heaphy wrote successful an email to House unit that was included successful the sentencing memo. “I expect that DOJ volition not beryllium receptive to this proposal, arsenic helium is blameworthy of the charged transgression and cannot cure his culpability with consequent compliance with the subpoena.”

Prosecutors wrote successful the sentencing memo that Bannon’s lawyer “made wide that the Defendant’s newfound cooperative tone had strings attached.”

“When his quid pro quo effort failed, the Defendant made nary further effort astatine practice with the Committee – speaking volumes astir his atrocious faith,” the Justice Department wrote.

The sentencing memo besides provided caller item astir Bannon lawyer Robert Costello’s interactions with Trump’s counsel, Justin Clark, past year. Costello had written to the committee claiming that Trump was invoking enforcement privilege implicit Bannon’s testimony, citing a missive from Clark.

But Clark had told Costello that the missive did not assertion enforcement privilege for Bannon. Clark told national investigators helium was “pissed” that Bannon’s lawyer had “completely misrepresented” to the committee what Clark had told him, national prosecutors said successful the sentencing memo.

Clark wrote successful an October 2021 email to Costello that the missive helium had sent “didn’t bespeak that we judge determination is immunity from grounds for your client. As I indicated to you the different day, we don’t judge determination is. Now, you whitethorn person made a antithetic determination. That is wholly your call.”

This communicative has been updated with further reporting.