WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - On Friday Steve Bannon filed a notice of appeal to challenge his conviction for contempt of Congress, a court filing revealed. Bannon was first found guilty of contempt of Congress charges in July after he refused subpoena charges from what is colloquially known as the January 6 committee.
"Defendant Stephen K. Bannon hereby gives notice that he appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from the final judgment of conviction and sentence entered on October 21, 2022," the filing said on Friday.
Judge Carl Nichols suspended Bannon's prison sentence until the appeals process is complete. In October the judge also allowed him to defer his $6,500 fine as he pursued his appeal.
Bannon did not produce any documents in response to the subpoena, claiming executive privilege. The Justice Department had called for Nichols to sentence Bannon to six months in prison and impose a $200,000 fine.
Bannon, 68, is a far-right theorist, the former executive chairman at Breitbart News, and a former investment banker. He became the chief executive officer of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign about two months before Election Day, and effectively landed Trump the votes he need to win the Electoral College.
Following Trump's victory Bannon became his chief strategist and helped create the "America First" ideology of Trump's anti-immigration policies. Bannon was pushed out of the White House after less than eight months. In 2018 Trump reportedly said Bannon had "lost his mind" after Bannon criticized the former president's children.