All the ex-president’s men: Trump aides in legal peril

Steve Bannon, the rightwing agitator and driving force behind Donald Trump’s Maga movement, is set to become the latest of the former president’s closest advisers to go to prison.

If the former chair of Breitbart News fulfils the orders of the court and surrenders himself on July 1, he will be added to the list of half a dozen close Trump aides to have been incarcerated. They include the ex-president’s former lawyer, his campaign manager, accountant and policy adviser. An even wider circle of confidants is still embroiled in legal proceedings.

Bannon’s imprisonment, after being found guilty of contempt of Congress, would come just days before Trump himself is due to be sentenced on July 11, after he was found guilty of conspiring to buy the silence of a porn actor ahead of the 2016 election in a “hush money” trial held in Manhattan. The verdict made him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.

Here are some of the most prominent figures in Trump’s orbit who have been convicted or have served time in prison.

Donald Trump

Awaiting sentencing

The former president has been charged in four criminal cases at state and federal level. Three of his most serious cases have yet to go to trial amid legal wrangling between him and US prosecutors. But the 34 counts on which Trump was convicted in the New York “hush money” trial carry a maximum prison sentence of four years. As a first-time offender, he is unlikely to be incarcerated.

Steve Bannon

Sentenced to prison

One of Trump’s closest advisers, Bannon was convicted by a Washington court for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by a committee probing the attack on the US Capitol on January 6 2021. He was sentenced to four months and fined $6,500.

Michael Cohen

Served time in prison

Trump’s former personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in the “hush money” payment scheme linked to the former president. His sentence ended in 2021 and he testified against Trump at the ex-president’s recent trial in New York.

Peter Navarro

In prison

Trump’s former top trade adviser is serving a four-month sentence after being convicted of contempt of Congress for failing to co-operate with the congressional investigation into the January 6 attack. He reported to prison in March.

Rick Gates

Served time in prison

Trump’s former deputy campaign chair served a total of 45 days in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy and making false statements. He co-operated extensively with US prosecutors investigating the ex-president’s ties to Russia.

Allen Weisselberg

Served time in prison

The Trump Organization’s long-serving chief financial officer in 2022 spent three months in jail after pleading guilty to tax evasion for arranging to receive luxury cars, school tuition payments and other unreported perks from the business.

George Papadopoulos

Served time in prison

The former foreign policy adviser to Trump’s campaign served about two weeks in jail in 2018 after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI during an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Roger Stone

Sentenced to prison

A longtime Trump confidant, Stone in February 2020 was sentenced to 40 months in prison after being convicted for lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering to protect Trump. The former president pardoned him in December 2020.

Paul Manafort

Served time in prison

Trump’s former campaign manager was jailed in 2018 after being convicted of fraud and tax evasion in Ukraine-related consulting work. A presidential pardon from Trump in 2020 cut short his seven-and-a-half-year sentence.

The other associates

Trump and several of his former aides are facing a series of other legal challenges, including charges from the states of Georgia and Arizona linked to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential poll. Trump is also facing federal indictments for similar offences and for mishandling classified information.

Rudy Giuliani

Charged

The former New York mayor and Trump’s longtime personal attorney is a co-defendant in both the Georgia and Arizona cases, in which he is accused of conspiring to appoint fake electors. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Mark Meadows

Charged

Trump’s former White House chief of staff is facing charges in Georgia and Arizona related to attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.