A federal judge declared on Thursday that Steve Bannon, once a prominent advisor to Donald Trump, must begin serving a four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress by July 1. This ruling indicates that Bannon, known for his right-wing media presence and ongoing influence within Trump’s circles, will probably be incarcerated during a pivotal phase of the U.S. presidential campaign. Notably, this period includes the lead-up to the November 5 election, where former President Trump is poised to contend against Democratic President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington issued the order following a federal appeals court’s rejection last month of Bannon’s attempt to overturn his conviction. Bannon had defied a subpoena from a congressional panel investigating the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. In 2022, he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to provide documents or testify to the Democratic-led House of Representatives committee.

Following Peter Navarro, a former trade adviser, Steve Bannon will become the second former high-ranking official from Trump’s administration to be incarcerated for non-cooperation with the committee. Bannon had been granted a reprieve from serving his sentence during his appeal. However, prosecutors sought to terminate this reprieve after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected Bannon’s challenge to his conviction.

Bannon’s legal team urged Judge Nichols to allow him to remain free, contending that he still has options for appeal, including seeking review from the full D.C. Circuit court or the U.S. Supreme Court. Bannon has maintained that his refusal to comply with the subpoena was based on legal advice from his attorney, asserting that he did not intend to violate the law.

At the time of the incident, Bannon was no longer employed at the White House. However, he was among a cadre of Trump advisors who actively sought to obstruct the formal certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

The congressional panel suggested that Bannon might have possessed information regarding the events slated for January 6, 2021, during which a contingent of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to impede lawmakers from certifying the election results.