In a stunning revelation, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has admitted to illegally detaining former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, in violation of the First Step Act (FSA) of 2018. Bannon, who was due to be released early under the provisions of this law, remains behind bars due to bureaucratic delays that his legal team attributes to political maneuvering by the Biden-Harris administration.
The First Step Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, was designed to reduce prison sentences for certain offenders and encourage rehabilitation. It specifically provides mechanisms for nonviolent offenders to earn time credits through participation in prison programs, allowing for earlier release to home confinement or community-based facilities. Bannon, who has been incarcerated since mid-2024, was expected to be released on October 19, but remains in federal custody—raising serious concerns about governmental overreach.
The First Step Act (FSA) was passed in 2018 to reform federal sentencing laws, reducing mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses and enabling prisoners to accrue time credits for good behavior and participation in rehabilitation programs. These credits allow eligible inmates to transition from prison to home confinement or halfway houses earlier than their originally scheduled release.
Bannon, a close ally of President Trump and a former advisor, was sentenced to a four-month term in federal prison for defying a congressional subpoena related to the January 6 investigation. Though the sentence was relatively short, Bannon’s legal team quickly filed motions for his early release under the FSA, arguing that he had earned sufficient time credits to justify being transferred to home confinement by October 19, 2024. However, the BOP’s failure to process his transfer has sparked allegations of bureaucratic foot-dragging—possibly influenced by the political tensions surrounding Bannon’s imprisonment.
In a letter obtained by The Tennessee Star, Acting Warden Darek Puzio of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Danbury confirmed that Bannon had indeed earned the necessary 10 FSA time credits, which should have led to his release to home confinement three days prior, on October 19. The letter bluntly acknowledges that the prison system failed to process Bannon’s transfer in time, leaving him to serve out the remainder of his sentence, with his official release now delayed until October 29, 2024.
The warden explained the delay by claiming that the BOP did not have “sufficient time” to complete the paperwork necessary to transfer Bannon, effectively leaving him in prison for an additional ten days beyond his legal release date. For Bannon’s legal team and supporters, this explanation is far from satisfactory and raises questions about the administration’s motives.
Bannon’s lawyers have been fighting tirelessly for his release, filing motions since August 29 to accelerate the process. They argue that the government’s response to these motions has been intentionally delayed—over 75 days have passed since they filed their petition for his early release. According to Bannon’s legal team, the Biden administration is using bureaucratic obstacles to keep him incarcerated longer than legally required, which they argue is a blatant abuse of power.
Steve Bannon’s imprisonment stems from his refusal to cooperate with the congressional select committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021, which many of Trump’s allies have labeled a “sham” investigation. Bannon’s defiance earned him a contempt of Congress charge, resulting in his current four-month prison sentence. However, his refusal to cooperate with the committee—and his subsequent imprisonment—has turned him into a rallying figure for many on the right, who view his situation as emblematic of broader governmental overreach and political persecution.
Bannon himself has publicly voiced concerns about his imprisonment, predicting that political forces within the Biden administration would attempt to keep him behind bars for as long as possible. In a previous interview with Tucker Carlson, Bannon ominously suggested that if Donald Trump loses the 2024 presidential election, he fully expects to face even harsher treatment from the federal government. “If he loses, I’m f****d,” Bannon said, expressing fear of further legal consequences under a Biden-Harris administration.
Bannon’s case is not just a high-profile political controversy; it also underscores deeper issues with the implementation of the First Step Act. While the FSA was widely celebrated as a significant criminal justice reform when passed, the current situation with Bannon raises concerns about how effectively and fairly it is being applied. The fact that the BOP failed to process Bannon’s release—despite him meeting the requirements for early transfer—calls into question the overall efficiency and integrity of the system.
His case is likely to intensify calls for increased oversight of the BOP, particularly when it comes to high-profile prisoners. Critics argue that Bannon’s detention may have been extended for political reasons, given his close ties to former President Trump and his outspoken opposition to the current administration.
While Bannon’s official release is now expected on October 29, 2024, his legal team continues to fight for answers and accountability. Whether the additional days in prison will have any significant impact on his life after release remains to be seen, but the broader political implications of his case are likely to linger for months to come. As election season ramps up and tensions rise, Bannon’s imprisonment could serve as a flashpoint for debates over the balance of power between political factions and the role of the justice system in politically charged cases.
The fact that a high-profile figure like Steve Bannon remains in prison beyond his legal release date only adds fuel to the fire of those who believe the justice system is being used as a tool for political retribution.
The Tennessee Star reported:
A letter sent by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to attorneys representing Steve Bannon, wherein the federal agency acknowledged it is holding the former White House chief strategist in violation of the First Step Act (FSA) of 2018, as Bannon accrued 10 days of good time credit toward an early release:
“To date, Mr. Bannon has earned 10 First Step Act (“FSA”) time credits. These credits would typically be applied toward early transfer to supervision pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 3624 (g) (3). However, Mr. Bannon does not have a term of supervision following his term of imprisonment. Thus, his 10 FSA time credits can only be applied toward prerelease custody placement in a Residential Reentry Center or on home confinement.”
Bannon’s attorneys filed the letter as part of an effort to secure an earlier release but it was sent to Bannon’s lawyers by the Acting Warden at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) in Danbury, Connecticut, where Bannon is serving a four-month sentence after he was convicted in 2022 for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena from the House select committee that investigated January 6.
Acting Warden Darek Puzio said that “Mr. Bannon has earned 10 First Step Act (“FSA”) time credits,” which the warden additionally acknowledged “would typically be applied toward early transfer to supervision,” but noted that Bannon was not sentenced to any form of supervised release.
According to Puzio, this means Bannon can only use his credits, which the BOP typically calls good time credits, to secure a transfer to home confinement for the remainder of his sentence. However, the federal official claimed there is insufficient time left in Bannon’s sentence to arrange this and that the BOP department responsible for such arrangements “will not accept placements under 30 days.”
While confirming FCI Danbury and the BOP are willfully ignoring the good time credit accrued by Bannon, the warden nonetheless acknowledged the former Trump adviser “will be released on his full-term release date of October 29, 2024.”
Steve Bannon has accused the Biden-Harris administration of unlawfully keeping him in prison beyond his release date.
“Kamala Harris is the ‘Queen of Mass Incarcerations,’” Bannon told National Pulse, pointing out her troubled history with minority communities.
“Detested by black and hispanic men who are refusing to turn out and vote for her. She has done nothing to implement President Trump’s heroic First Step Act, in fact welcoming hundreds of thousands of hardened illegal migrant criminals while allowing US citizens eligible for early release to rot in prison. No mass deportations, but continual mass incarcerations,” Bannon added.
“Harris will lose this election on her inability to get black and hispanic men to vote for her in Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. The four years she did nothing for family reunification of American citizen prisoners while genuflecting to illegal alien criminals is coming back to bite her. Her Indian heritage surely taught her: Karma is a Bitch.”
“The Harris Bureau of Prisons is illegally holding me past my legal release date–trying to eliminate one of President Trump’s strongest advocates–these criminals reek of desperation,” he concluded.