Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, is likely to have his criminal conviction dismissed following a Supreme Court order. The justices vacated a lower court ruling that upheld Bannon’s 2022 conviction for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The move follows a request from the Trump administration to dismiss both the conviction and indictment. The Justice Department initially pursued the case under the Biden administration but shifted its position after Trump took office again. Bannon had argued executive privilege protected his testimony, a claim disputed by the House panel and the Justice Department due to his 2017 dismissal from the White House.
Bannon served four months in prison after being found guilty of contempt of Congress. While the Supreme Court action sends the case back to the appeals court, it effectively clears the path for the dismissal, though it would be largely symbolic. Separately, Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors related to a border wall project in New York, a conviction unaffected by this ruling.