MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US: Bannon sentenced to 4 months in jail

Bannon was pivotal to Trump's victory through the segmentation of speeches on social media

Former US President Donald Trump's advisor Steve Bannon has been sentenced to four months in jail after Judge Carl Nichols acquiesced to the US Attorney's Office's request which also included a monetary fine the magistrate lowered from US$ 200,000 to US$ 6,500.

Bannon was found guilty by a jury of refusing to cooperate with the legislative committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on Capitol Hill. The prosecution had asked for six months in jail.

While Trump's former strategist is expected to appeal the ruling, he is also rumored to be joining Brazil's incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro's campaign team ahead of the Oct. 30 runoffs against former President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva to reinforce digital communication and encourage abstention in key states such as those in the northeast where the leftwing candidate is likely to win.

Bannon has dubbed Bolsonaro a “hero” and said that “the campaign in Brazil will be the most intense of the century.”

As chief strategist, Bannon was pivotal to Trump's victory through the segmentation of speeches in social media with companies such as Cambridge Analytics.

In addition to the case ruled upon in Washington DC, Bannon faces another prosecution in New York for alleged fraud in a fundraising campaign to help build a border wall with Mexico. Bannon is charged with two felony counts of money laundering, two counts of conspiracy, and one felony count of scheme to defraud. He was pardoned by Trump a day before leaving office.