<p>Steve Bannon, former President Donald Trump's chief White House strategist and 2016 campaign CEO, will remain free from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/steve-bannon-sentencing-contempt-congress/" _mce_href="https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/steve-bannon-sentencing-contempt-congress/" target="_blank">serving a four-month prison sentence</a>&nbsp;as he appeals his recent conviction on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress.&nbsp;</p> <p>Judge Carl Nichols filed the expected ruling on Monday delaying the prison term after Bannon filed a notice appealing his conviction on Friday. That case will now make its way through the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Bannon will only serve time in prison if his conviction is upheld by higher courts.&nbsp;</p> <p>Bannon, a private citizen at the time of the Jan. 6 committee's creation last year, was charged after he rebuffed the panel's demand that he sit for a deposition with investigators and hand over documents relevant to the congressional probe.</p> <p>During his trial in July, prosecutors told the jury that Bannon thought he was "above the law" and had "thumbed his nose" at congressional demands. Bannon chose not to testify, and his legal team called no witnesses.&nbsp;</p> <p>In refusing to comply with the committee's subpoena, he claimed he could not testify because of executive privilege concerns raised by Trump, adding that his attorney, Robert Costello, had advised him not to comply with the subpoena because of those concerns.</p> <p><br></p>