Trump adviser Steve Bannon makes long-shot bid to Supreme Court to avoid prison

June 21 (UPI) -- With the clock ticking on when he must report to prison, former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon on Friday threw in an emergency motion to the Supreme Court to hold off his sentence.

The high court asked prosecutors to respond to Bannon's application by Wednesday afternoon.

Bannon's motion comes after a federal judge ruled he must begin his four-month prison sentence on July 1. He was found guilty two years ago on two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 select committee.

Unless the Supreme Court intervenes, Bannon will report to a low-security federal prison in Danbury, Conn., instead of a minimum-security prison camp he had sought.

Since his conviction, Bannon has tried to delay prison time while he appeals the case. His most recent loss came on Thursday when a federal appeals court rejected his request to remain free.

Bannon's lawyers argued the Supreme Court previously granted emergency relief for defendants "under nearly identical procedural circumstances."

His four-month sentence also would coincide with the high court's summer recess, meaning he would have finished his sentence before the court can even consider the case, his lawyers added.

In a similar scenario, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro is currently serving a four-month prison sentence in Miami on contempt of Congress charges after the conservative high court rejected his motion to remain free.

Bannon's attorney's, however, argued his request lacks procedural concerns present in Navarro's case.

Bannon has remained an ardent Trump ally and supporter of his re-election bid. Earlier this month he vowed to "purge" the Justice Department and "take apart" the FBI if Trump retook the White House in November.