US Supreme Court Clears Path to Overturn Steve Bannon's Contempt Conviction

USA. The US Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for overturning the conviction of former Trump advisor Steve Bannon in connection with the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.

Bannon, a key ally of President Trump, served four months in federal prison in 2024 for defying a subpoena to testify before the congressional panel investigating the 2021 attack.

The decision follows a legal challenge joined in February by the Trump administration, which had appealed to overturn Bannon's conviction. Acting Solicitor General Todd Blanche stated that this move corrects what he claimed was the 'weaponization of the justice system' by the previous administration.

In a brief unsigned order on Monday, the Supreme Court granted the request, vacated the appellate decision that upheld Bannon's conviction, and remanded the case for further proceedings.

Bannon, a chief strategist for Trump's first presidential campaign, was dismissed as White House chief strategist in August 2017. He was one of the most vocal proponents of false claims regarding fraud in the 2020 presidential election won by Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

In a separate case, Bannon was convicted last year of defrauding donors who funded a private scheme to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.

Bannon had faced federal charges over the border wall scheme but received a pardon at the end of the first Republican term in the White House.