Steve Bannon, a prominent ally of former President Donald Trump, reported to prison in Danbury, Connecticut, on Monday to begin a four-month sentence for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas. Bannon has framed his imprisonment as a political prosecution, a stance he reiterated to reporters outside the prison before entering the grounds at noon. “I am proud to go to prison. If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny, if this is what it takes to stand up to the Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it,” he declared.
In the days leading up to his prison sentence, Bannon continued to cast doubt on the Democrats’ ability to win the upcoming November elections without resorting to fraud. This rhetoric is consistent with his long-standing pattern of spreading falsehoods about election security. In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, Bannon asserted that there is “no chance” Democrats will win unless “they’re stealing it.” He has been a vocal proponent of the baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and appears to be laying the groundwork for similar claims should Democrats win in the fall.
“The Democrats have no ability to win this unless they cheat,” Bannon said on Saturday. His defiance was evident over the weekend as he prepared to report to prison. He was sentenced for defying subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee, which is investigating the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021.
During an appearance on ABC News’ “This Week,” Bannon stated that “all bets are off” until the November election is “adjudicated and reviewed.” When asked if he would urge Trump supporters to respect the poll results, he responded, “Here’s the bottom line: When this is adjudicated and reviewed, if they are certifiable, chain-of-custody ballots and votes from American citizens, then hey, whatever that outcome is, is totally fair. Until the time that we get that, all bets are off.”
When questioned about whether he would advocate for “no more violence,” Bannon pushed back, arguing that “nobody can derive that we’re calling for violence.” He later defended his comments that framed the political environment as “victory or death.” In his interview with NBC News, Bannon reiterated that his end game was “victory or death of this republic.” He believes the “MAGA movement is shifting day by day farther right,” and even described Trump as a moderate within the movement.
“I think that’s the next phase of the MAGA — ‘America first’ was phase one,” Bannon said. “‘American citizens first’ is phase two. And I think we’re going to go there, and I think there’s going to be huge political fights about that.”
Bannon’s rhetoric and actions continue to fuel doubts about the integrity of the electoral process, a tactic he has employed since the 2020 election. His statements and defiance of legal processes underscore a broader strategy to undermine public trust in democratic institutions. As he heads to prison, Bannon’s influence within the MAGA movement remains significant, and his claims about election fraud are likely to persist, potentially shaping the political landscape leading up to the 2024 election.
Source: NBC News
