Trump says Biden will ‘pay a very high price’ for ‘weaponizing’ justice system as Bannon sent to prison

On the same day that his close ally and former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reported to prison for contempt of Congress, former President Donald Trump again accused President Joe Biden of what he claims is a “weaponization” of the justice system, suggesting that Biden is “going to pay a heavy price.”

“Oh, this is pure weaponization,” Trump said during an interview on WRVA, a local radio station in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday morning, claiming that Bannon’s prison sentence is an attempt by his opponents to silence him.

“What they’ve done to this country is unthinkable, and Biden is going to pay a heavy price for it, I think,” Trump continued. “Because I think people are going to say, ‘Well, wow, you opened a Pandora’s box.’ It’s a terrible thing that they’ve opened. They’ve unleashed this.”

Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison in October 2022 after being convicted of defying a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bannon surrendered to police Monday to begin his four-month sentence at a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request to stay out of prison while he pursues an appeal.

Trump’s latest comment suggesting Biden will pay “a high price” for his ally’s surrender is a continuation of his rhetoric about “retribution” – a concept that has become a central theme of his 2024 re-election campaign as he faces multiple criminal charges and legal battles.

Asked about the former president’s latest comment, Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, told ABC News that “President Trump was referring to the very high price Joe Biden will pay on November 5 when the American people overwhelmingly vote to remove him from the White House.”

“As President Trump has repeatedly stated, his reward will be victory, success and greatness for America,” Leavitt continued.

Last week, during the first presidential debate in Atlanta, when Trump was asked about his idea of ​​“retribution,” he insisted: “My retribution will be success.” But he went on to say that Biden “could be a convicted felon the moment he leaves office,” claiming he has done “horrible things” as president.

Trump has previously promised to appoint a special prosecutor to “hunt down” Biden if he is re-elected to a second term.

“I will appoint a real Special Prosecutor to go after the most corrupt President in American history, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family, and everyone else involved in the destruction of our elections, our borders, and our country itself,” Trump posted on his social media platform in June.

Trump has stepped up his rhetoric about retaliation since he was convicted on all 34 counts in the New York hush money criminal case.

In an interview with Dr. Phil last month, he said he would accept a “forgive and forget” approach, but that “sometimes revenge can be justified.”

Trump also declined to say whether he would sue Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the criminal case against him in New York, insisting that the prosecutor “did some very bad things” and that “we’ll see what happens.” Bragg has not faced any criminal charges.

Trump’s attacks also come as the Supreme Court ruled Monday that presidents are entitled to immunity for “official” acts taken while in the White House, creating what liberal justices called a “lawless zone.”

“This new immunity for official acts ‘now stands as a loaded gun’ for any president who wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival or his own financial gain above the interests of the nation,” Justice Sotomayor wrote in her dissenting opinion.