Steve Bannon was released early from prison a week before the US election | Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon, the longtime Donald Trump supporter, was released from prison on Tuesday after being sentenced to four months in prison for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena as part of an investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol had opposed in 2021.

The far-right arsonist's release from federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, comes just a week before Election Day. Bannon, 70, surrendered to prison on July 1 after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his attempt to delay the verdict pending appeal.

“I am not broken, I am strengthened,” Bannon said as he left the prison around 3:15 a.m. local time, according to the New York Times. Bannon wasted no time in resuming his position as a pro-Trump demagogue, suggesting that there would be political unrest after the election.

“If people think American politics has been divisive before, you haven’t seen anything,” Bannon reportedly said.

He also insisted that serving a prison sentence was “1,000%” worth the price of refusing to testify before Congress. “If you’re not willing to go to prison to fight for your country,” Bannon said, “you’re not willing to fight for your country.”

Bannon was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress in July 2022. Federal prosecutors argued that Bannon was “above the law” when he refused to sit before the House Select Committee on January 6 and rejected requests for documents in his work to undermine the 2020 election results – with Joe Biden defeated Trump.

The prosecution stated that Bannon “chose to express his contempt for the authority of Congress and its processes” by ignoring those subpoenas. Bannon has insisted that the convictions against him were politically motivated, similar to Trump's baseless claims that the prosecutions against him were based on a nefarious Democratic conspiracy.

David Schoen, Bannon's lawyer, claimed that this case raises “serious constitutional questions” that must be considered by the Supreme Court.

“Frankly, Mr. Bannon shouldn’t be apologizing. “No American should apologize for the way Mr. Bannon handled this case,” Schoen said.

Bannon's legal team has also argued that there is a “strong public interest” in allowing him to remain free on bail ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.

Bannon reportedly plans to hold a news conference in Manhattan later on Tuesday. He is also expected to resume his War Room podcast on Tuesday.

Bannon is still facing federal charges in New York for allegedly duping donors who helped build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Bannon maintains his innocence; The trial in this case is scheduled for December.

With reporting from the Associated Press