Steve Bannon, who led Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016, has been released after serving a contempt sentence imposed by the U.S. Justice, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the case. Bannon left prison this Tuesday, one week before the U.S. presidential elections scheduled for November 5, where Trump seeks to renew his mandate.
During his time in prison, Bannon kept in touch with a small group of supporters, and some acted as guest hosts of his 'podcast'. Bannon was convicted in 2022 for defying a congressional subpoena related to the investigation of the Capitol riot in 2021, in which Trump supporters stormed the legislative building. The investigative committee sought clarity on whether Bannon had prior knowledge of the events of January 6, 2021, when the assault took place.
In December 2020, Bannon advised Trump to focus on January 6, a key date for certifying the election results. This episode resulted in five deaths and numerous injuries. Bannon, considered one of the prophets of the 'alt-right' populist right, has expressed his desire to become 'the global infrastructure for the worldwide populist movement,' supporting various far-right and populist political movements in different countries, especially in Europe.
Bannon worked on the campaign that brought Trump to the Presidency in 2016 and was a strategist in the White House for seven months. His focus on dismantling the political class and his opposition to tax cuts for the wealthy clashed with the Trump Administration, which soon became influenced by other dynamics.
