'Political thugs': Trump blasts DOJ and 'Unselect Committee' over Steve Bannon prison order, calls for Liz Cheney's indictment

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Former president Donald Trump launched into a rant on social media Thursday, June 6, in response to the news that his former campaign manager and White House advisor Steve Bannon has been ordered to serve his prison sentence for contempt of Congress.

Trump was furious with the Justice Department and the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Donald Trump’s fiery response to Steve Bannon prison sentence

In a series of posts, Donald Trump described the situation as a "Total and Complete American Tragedy," criticizing what he termed the "Crooked Joe Biden Department of Injustice."

The former president accused the department of being desperate to jail Bannon and other Republicans for not complying with what he called the "Unselect Committee of Political Thugs."

“It is a Total and Complete American Tragedy that the Crooked Joe Biden Department of Injustice is so desperate to jail Steve Bannon, and every other Republican, for that matter, for not SUBMITTING to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, made up of all Democrats, and two CRAZED FORMER REPUBLICAN LUNATICS, Cryin’ Adam Kinzinger, and Liz 'Out of Her Mind' Cheney,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He went on to claim that the committee members had committed crimes by deleting and destroying material evidence, allegedly to protect prominent Democrats.

Trump called for the indictment of the committee members, alleging, “It has been irrefutably proven that it was the Unselects who committed actual crimes when they deleted and destroyed all material evidence, in a pathetic attempt to protect Crazy Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats from the TRUTH — THAT I DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG. The unAmerican Weaponization of our Law Enforcement has reached levels of Illegality never thought possible before. INDICT THE UNSELECT J6 COMMITTEE FOR ILLEGALLY DELETING AND DESTROYING ALL OF THEIR 'FINDINGS!' MAGA2024.”

Steve Bannon’s legal battle 

Steve Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress in 2022 after he refused to provide documents and testimony to the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol riot. Sentenced to four months in prison, Bannon's sentence had been paused by federal judge Carl Nichols, pending an appeal.

However, a recent decision by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals rejected several of Bannon's challenges, prompting prosecutors to request that Bannon start serving his sentence.

Judge Nichols, a Trump appointee, stated that the basis for pausing Bannon’s sentence no longer existed following the appeals court ruling.

"Given the appeals court ruling, I do not believe the basis I had for pausing Bannon’s sentence exists any longer," Nichols remarked.

Bannon has vowed to continue his legal fight, asserting that his prosecution was politically motivated. “There’s nothing that can shut me up and nothing that will shut me up. There’s not a prison built or a jail built that will ever shut me up,” Bannon declared to reporters outside the courthouse. “We’re going to win at the Supreme Court.”

Bannon’s attorney David Schoen argued that his client should remain out of prison until the Supreme Court had the opportunity to review the case. Schoen noted that a request for the full DC Circuit Court of Appeals to review the case would be filed by June 24.

Prosecutor John Crabb, however, contended that Bannon had not met the legal standards necessary to remain out of prison while appealing.

Crabb highlighted the case of Peter Navarro, another former Trump adviser, who also failed to pause his sentence after refusing to comply with a House January 6 committee subpoena, CNN reported.

Political ramifications for Donald Trump

Donald Trump’s response to Steve Bannon's prison sentence is part of his broader campaign against figures he perceives as adversaries. Trump has repeatedly called for the imprisonment of former representative Liz Cheney, one of the Republicans on the January 6 Committee.

In March, Trump wrote that Cheney “should go to Jail along with the rest of the Unselect Committee!”

Cheney has consistently rebutted Trump's allegations. Following his latest outburst, she posted on X, “Hi Donald: you know these are lies. You have had all the grand jury & J6 transcripts for many months. You’re trying to halt your 1/6 trial because your VP, WH counsel, WH aides, campaign & DOJ officials, etc will testify against you. You’re afraid of the truth and you should be.”

Trump’s allegations have been further fueled by a controversial article from The Federalist, claiming that the January 6 Committee suppressed “Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato’s first transcribed interview."

The committee had made the transcribed interview in question publicly available, contradicting the claims made by Trump and his allies, according to Mediaite.