As the presidential election approaches, one of Donald Trump’s most supportive media figures, Steve Bannon, is expected to return to the fold as a wild card in the final week of voting.

After being sentenced to 120 days in prison after being found guilty of contempt of Congress, popular right-wing podcast host and former Trump adviser Bannon is expected to be released Tuesday from a federal prison in Connecticut, where he was incarcerated after failing to respond to two subpoenas during the House investigation on January 6.

Bannon, who went from being a key architect of the Make America Great Again movement to an official campaign adviser to a popular podcast host, has been a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump but also a controversial and controversial figure. Recently, Trump also made Bannon a symbol for his claims that Democrats are using the federal government as a weapon against conservatives.

Now, Trump loyalists believe his comeback could galvanize his supporters and encourage his audience to vote. Being in prison hasn’t stopped Bannon from urging his fans to support Trump in this high-stakes election, but his return could re-engage an audience that was lagging during his absence.

“The stakes have never been higher; This is an opportunity to take back control. We don’t just fight to win; we are fighting for the future of America,” Bannon written in a letter from prison in September. He used the letter to urge Conservatives to “engage” with voters to “motivate them to vote.” He went on to say: “With relentless effort and personal contact, they will pave a way for us. »

Those closest to Bannon viewed his prosecution and imprisonment as part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to weaponize the federal government against conservatives. In Bannon’s case, his daughter believes the Justice Department wanted to silence him before an important election by jailing him and delaying his early release.

“It’s clear to me that they are trying to keep my father illegally detained because at this point he can be released,” Maureen said on “John Solomon Reports” Podcast last week. “So this is an illegal detention aimed at keeping him silent before the most crucial election of our lifetime.

“They want to keep such an influential voice in this movement silenced, or what they think is silenced, because he continues to make his voice heard, but they try to do everything they can to keep him until the very last possible moment,” she added.

Indeed, Bannon’s podcast—”The War Room“-suffered during his absenceaccording to Podcharts, an analytics company, the New York Times reported. Earlier this month, the podcast was ranked 52nd among political podcasts. Before Bannon showed up to prison, the show was consistently ranking in the top 10.

Trump’s political allies believe Bannon’s return could galvanize Trump’s base and encourage low-propensity voters to turn out to vote. “Steve Bannon is the intellectual and general leader of the MAGA movement,” said Mike Davis, a Trump ally and frequent guest on Bannon’s show. Times. “Bannon will walk out of prison a week before the election like a roaring lion in a cage.”

Bannon will hold a press conference on Tuesday following his release. Raheem Kassam, a conservative British commentator and close Bannon ally who has “been in touch with Steve almost every day,” said the podcast host will be “newly invigorated” and will likely work overtime to get out the Trump vote.

Newly invigorated

“Expect to see a newly reinvigorated Stephen K. Bannon, more determined than ever to take his fight to the administrative state,” Kassam said NOTUS. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see him immediately hit the campaign trail and host his show ‘War Room’ for four hours every day. Every second will count. Every word will count.

Natalie Winters, co-host of Bannon’s War room podcast, said all eyes were on the election and that would be Bannon’s focus.

“Eleven days until Stephen K. Bannon goes free”, substitute host Natalie G. Winters said in the October 18 edition of the show. “But make no mistake, because I’m sure Stephen K. Bannon would completely agree with me: The real ticking clock is about more than when Stephen K. Bannon is released from federal prison. The real countdown is until January 20, when the retribution – or as we call it here in the war room – justice will begin.”

Bannon was sent to prison earlier this year to serve time after being charged and convicted of contempt of Congress after failing to respond to two subpoenas from the Jan. 6 special committee investigating the Capitol riot and on former President Trump’s actions surrounding the incident. It should be noted that Eric Holder, Attorney General of the United States under President Obama, was also found in contempt for refusing to cooperate with Congressional investigations into the “Fast and Furious” scandal, but was never reprimanded or arrested.

Bannon’s trial ended in the summer of 2022 after a jury found him guilty. Bannon had tried to invoke executive privilege to avoid testifying about his conversations with Trump regarding the Capitol riot, but he was. largely excluded for having cited him during his initial trial, argued his lawyer.

Bannon did not immediately report to serve his sentence because a court postponed sentencing while various appeals were pending. A federal appeals court in June denied Bannon’s attempt further delay his prison sentence, but concluding his arguments would probably not convince the Supreme Court.

Even though he is about to be released from federal prison, Bannon still faces a state-level affair brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who accused him of money laundering crimes related to a private fundraising scheme to complete construction of Trump’s southern border wall.

Several other people affiliated with Trump’s fundraising efforts have already been convicted and sentenced for participating in or contributing to the effort to redirect funds to personal salaries. In the final hours of his first term, Trump pardoned Bannon for federal crimes, but Bragg then indicted the former adviser at the state level.