Steve Bannon, a prominent right-wing figure and former senior adviser to Donald Trump, was released from prison Tuesday after spending nearly four months behind bars and just a week ahead of the US election.
Bannon left a federal prison in Connecticut where he was serving time for a contempt of Congress conviction, Federal Bureau of Prisons records showed.
“I’m not broken, I’m empowered,” the 70-year-old told outside the prison.
Bannon was convicted of defying a subpoena to testify before the congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
Bannon said it was “1,000%” worth going to prison for refusing to testify.
“If you’re not prepared to go to prison to fight for your country you’re not prepared to fight for your country,” he told.
When he entered prison on July 1, he defiantly said he was “proud” to serve time “if it’s what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden.”
One of the masterminds behind Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign, Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022 but remained free while appealing his conviction.
A federal appeals court upheld the conviction in May, and District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, revoked Bannon’s bail at a court hearing, ordering him to report to prison by July 1.
