Steve Bannon, who served as the White House’s chief strategist under Trump, was sentenced to 4 months in prison on Friday, for his insubordination regarding a subpoena from the House Select Committee who are investigating the January 6th attack. Bannon was required to appear for a deposition and produce documents to the Committee, both of which he failed to do.

Bannon’s legal team attempted to claim that his executive privilege protected him from having to testify, but Judge Carl Nichols still sentenced him to 2 counts of contempt of Congress. Bannon was not, however, given the maximum sentence, due to his service in the Navy and his lack of a criminal record.

The two charges against him are for refusing to testify to the select committee, and then refusing to submit relevant documents. In addition to 4 months in prison, Bannon also has been fined 6,500 dollars. He has appealed his sentence, and will remain out of prison until the appeal goes through.

An important takeaway from this debacle is the fact that people are being held accountable. Under the Trump administration, Bannon and others like him, became comfortable stretching the law to suit themselves, but this is proof that the judicial system isn’t completely broken. This is especially significant because Judge Nichols is a Trump appointee who still sentenced Bannon to jail.

Nichols, a Trump appointee, sentencing a former Trump employee, sends a message that deters further insurrections like the one that took place on January 6th. This serves as a reminder to everyone that there are consequences for actions. Even if those in power share political views with you, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be punished for blatant disregard of the law, a lesson that Steve Bannon had to learn the hard way.