Bannon To Federal Prison. Then To Riker’s Island?

Steve Bannon is about to start serving four months of prison time. At the Danbury Federal Correctional Facility.  He will start his four months there but could well find himself transferred halfway through his sentence to an infamous place.

Bannon fought all the way to SCOTUS (who told him get lost) to avoid serving his four month prison sentence for Contempt of Congress. In fact, the stock one-sentence whole denial by SCOTUS of his request to delay serving his sentence pending appeal means he’ll be wasting his money eventually appealing. Only if SCOTUS thought there was a chance his appeal might be successful would they have allowed him to remain free while the process played out. So “Two Shirts Bannon” is headed to federal lockup tomorrow to start serving his four months. He’d hoped for a “Club Fed” spot but instead will be at the low security prison in Danbury, Connecticut.  However, Danbury could prove to be a way-station for Bannon. Come September he might well find himself at the notorious Riker’s Island jail in NYC.

As federal prisons, even low security ones go Danbury is no picnic but it’s a small facility that only houses a thousand inmates so there are rougher spots. Still, as this article from CNN notes it will be quiet a change for Bannon:

The prison in Connecticut where Bannon will live houses a large number of white-collar criminals, but it also may house violent and sex offenders in its men’s population.

It doesn’t have cells, and instead houses its inmates in open pods. Yet it does have a noticeable barrier — referred to colloquially as “the wall” — between the prison facility and the outside world, which prison camps don’t have.

However, being a high profile inmate means Bannon might even wind up in solitary, which wouldn’t actually be as bad as it sounds. We aren’t talking about some small dark room like you see in movies. Still, for someone used to what he’s used to only having a guard to interact with will still likely be a huge blow to Bannon’s ego so there’s that. Still, his heart had to have dropped when the DC Court of Appeals rejected his attempt to remain free. For two reasons. First is that while he could appeal to SCOTUS they summarily (and quickly) rejected a similar request from another Trump advisor. Peter Navarro will actually be getting out of prison in July, albeit not until after the GOP convention. Boo effing hoo.

What really caused Bannon to ask Trump what brand of disposable underwear to buy is that he’s got a criminal trial coming up in NYC the first week of September!  THAT my friends is what is causing Bannon to sh!t himself.  Danbury is 55 miles away from New York City, and although kind of close it’s too far to go shuttling him back and forth every day for weeks (perhaps as many as six) for his trial over his “Build the Wall” financial scam. So close, but oh so far at least for Bannon. What it means is that Bannon could, if his trial starts on time find himself being a “guest” at Riker’s Island and that’s NOT a place he wants to be anywhere near, much less incarcerated.  Even for high profile inmates (like Trump CFO Alan Weisselberg) Riker’s is an unpleasant place to be. Worse, for Bannon there will be the daily grind of having to get bused back and forth to the courthouse in Manhattan.

Mark your calendar’s for July 23. As a different CNN article than the one noted above explains it will be a crucial day in Steve Bannon’s life.  Bannon was originally set to go on trial in NYC on May 27, but the judge presiding happened to be overseeing another trial. Yep, Trump himself was fouling up judge Merchan’s courtroom in his own criminal trial in May. So Bannon’s trial date was pushed to the first week in September. However, the judge now has another trial, one involving six defendants that’s expected to last several months set to go beginning Sept. 16. Apparently there will be no delays in getting that one started. It seems New York state courts aren’t going to put up with Bannon’s delaying tactics:

The administrative judge for the New York County Supreme Court Criminal Term notified the parties in an email Friday saying the reassignment will “best serve the needs of the Court.”

“The Honorable Juan M. Merchan, Acting Supreme Court Justice, who is assigned to this matter, is engaged to preside over a six-defendant trial that is scheduled to commence on September 16, 2024 and expected to last at least three months,” Judge Ellen Biben wrote in the email.

Let’s unpack that a bit. Bannon was convicted of federal charges on this particular bit of fraud but Trump pardoned him. However, the state of New York is able to try him on the same charges and decided to do so.  Bannon has already gotten delays including the one due to Trump’s trial. It seems New York simply isn’t going to put up with Bannon’s b.s. and is going to try his fat ass and isn’t about to delay things for another three months (or more) so they’re bringing in a new judge to keep things on schedule.  You can bet the farm Bannon’s lawyers will try to claim it will be unfair to start his trial on time.  However, I suspect the new judge will have had “decks cleared” to be able to get up to speed on the case and be ready to go for that all important final pre-trial conference common in criminal cases.

Practically speaking, it’s going to be hard for Bannon to get a delay and that means logistics will require either a complicated as hell process for getting him back and forth to Danbury every day five days a week, or treating him like any other criminal and housing him locally in NYC.  That almost certainly means Rikers. Also, keep in mind Bannon IS a convicted criminal. He’s not going to get the same consideration from the courts as he would have before SCOTUS shot him down.  That’s why the last week of July could be so important for Bannon. And entertaining for us.  If the new judge dispatches all the pre-trial stuff in a timely manner and Bannon’s New York trial starts on time most of the latter half of his prison term will be spent at Riker’s Island.

Oh, and if he’s got notions of doing Trump style pressers during his trial remember what I said about him being a convicted criminal. Once he gets to the courthouse each day his butt will sit in a secure section of “the Tombs” downstairs until it’s time for court. Perhaps for a couple of hours or more. Then he’ll be taken to his courtroom and not past a gaggle of reporters and through the front door but via a side door. And he will exit the same way. The only break he might get is his lawyers being allowed to provide him regular food for lunch instead of prisoner food.  But I for one keep coming back to what Riker’s Island will be like for someone like Bannon.

That’s not even the best part. What if he’s convicted in New York?  Keep in mind he will be not yet done with a federal prison sentence. Plus although he got a pardon from Trump for sentencing purposes it still counts as a criminal conviction which means there’s no guarantee he’ll be allowed out of jail/prison while awaiting sentencing for the New York state charges!  He could well spend election day behind bars. And years longer. He’s already seventy years old or so, so if there’s any justice and given what can’t be good health he could wind up dying behind bars.  And even if heaven forbid Trump got back in office there’s not a damned thing Trump could do about it.

I know to a certain extent it makes me a bad person for taking pleasure in the mental suffering Bannon is going through today. It might be the last time he breathes free air for years to come. At best. Given the damage he’s wrought I won’t lose a seconds sleep over his anguish or suffering. And if he dies behind bars I’ll do my best to dance a jig, accepting the pain of a hard fall (my disability makes it really tough to maintain balance without help) for getting the most out of the moment. A couple of shots of good Scotch to dull the pain is what fine things like good Scotch (or Jack Daniels) is for.

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