Live Updates: Donald Trump, Kamala Harris Election News

Steve Bannon was released from federal prison on Tuesday and returned to the helm of his weakened right-wing media platform just a week before Election Day, according to a source.

Bannon, a right-wing podcast host and general manager of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, remains a staunch supporter of the former president.

Even as he reported to federal prison in Connecticut in July, Bannon insisted that he would influence the presidential race from behind bars and that his “War Room” podcast would continue to energize the Trump base.

While in prison, Bannon maintained digital contact with a small group of loyalists, including some of those who served as guest hosts for the podcast, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Bannon spoke in part about daily news and politics, including topics he had been thinking about for the show.

Bannon was received by his daughter Maureen early Tuesday morning. He is scheduled to host his radio show later on Tuesday.

He was convicted in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House special committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He continues to appeal his conviction.

In prison, Bannon’s MAGA megaphone has suffered due to his absence. “War Room,” which appeared frequently on Apple’s top podcasts before Bannon went to prison, disappeared from the charts in early July, according to Podchaser. According to Podchaser data, the podcast was once at the top of Apple’s political podcast charts and has since fallen out of the top 25.

While Bannon’s show is seen primarily as one that appeals to the Trump base, data from Edison Research’s podcast metrics found that nearly half of Bannon’s audience was Republicans, but about a third of listeners were independents.

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CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed reporting.

This post has been updated with additional information.