Prosecutors allege Bannon spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of donor funds on his personal expenses.
Steve Bannon, a former senior White House adviser to President Donald Trump, has been arrested and charged along with three other men for swindling donors who supported a private effort to build sections of wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Bannon and the other men were indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with their roles in the non-profit group “We Build the Wall.”
Prosecutors allege that Bannon, 66, diverted $1 million raised by the group to another organization he controlled and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of donor funds on his personal expenses. Also charged in the two-count conspiracy indictment: activists Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea.
Bannon, who was Trump’s de facto campaign manager during the latter months of the 2016 presidential race and served as chief strategist in the White House through August 2017, is expected to appear before a federal magistrate in New York later Thursday, prosecutors said.
The investigation into the border wall group with strong connections to Trump allies had been a closely-held secret, and its stunning emergence Thursday — four days before the opening of the Republican National Convention — seems likely to provoke the president, who has accused opponents of trying to create distractions around the quadrennial nominating event.
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Stephen Bannon, a former senior White House adviser to President Donald Trump, has been arrested and charged along with three other men with swindling donors who supported a private effort to build sections of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico borderhttps://t.co/amEBDnOSmF
— POLITICO (@politico) August 20, 2020
Leaders of ‘We Build The Wall’ online fundraising campaign charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors https://t.co/cH2abWm2Ph pic.twitter.com/NKxfKXkcEX
— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) August 20, 2020
The quintessence of modern, right-wing populism: a fake wall-building scheme, used to defraud donors.
From the very beginning, this "movement" was always about making money for people like Bannon, not about helping ordinary Americans https://t.co/Y7xZ6EYrte— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) August 20, 2020
Steve Bannon indicted. Trump finally draining the swamp!
— Evan Siegfried (@evansiegfried) August 20, 2020
Will Trump issue a preemptive pardon? I can hear him already. Fake news, witchhunt blah blah blah. Or will he go with the “I don’t know him” “I know nothing about it” and try to distance himself from the scheme. Another day another Trump-related scam. This is why he is so drawn to charlatans and snake oil salesmen. Kindred spirits.
I’m sure AG Barr didn’t know about this either. Nah, it wouldn’t have anything to do with the firing of the NY AG and wanting to put their “own guy” in his place.
Trump and everyone around him hates the rubes, shearing those sheep while having a good laugh about it. Bannon's not laughing, at the moment. But might as well get the Pardon Machine going. https://t.co/KRAq7Z8bWk
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 20, 2020
On a boat. So perfect https://t.co/dVCjDHMeLF
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 20, 2020
Bannon was arrested on a boat Thursday morning off the Eastern coast of Connecticut, a law enforcement official told @KaraScannell. Bannon had been on said boat for the last several weeks, multiple people said. He would tell people he was "at sea."
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 20, 2020
Expect the acting AG to be replaced as well.
Because, goddamn it, this is what the working people of Pennsylvania and Michigan demanded. https://t.co/h5XG3y9mJh
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 20, 2020
"No one's been tougher on China than I have" https://t.co/jmWkeilcVz
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) August 20, 2020
All Bannon did is what Trump did. Milk the suckers who actually think a wall will help. Both know it’s ridiculous and both know they can manipulate the suckers. https://t.co/mFJtlB2P1c
— stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) August 20, 2020
This checks out. Trump's message appeals to low-information boaters. https://t.co/7Ate5Ve2g1
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 20, 2020
There's such a fine line between "fighting for the people" and "separating them from their dollars."
— David French (@DavidAFrench) August 20, 2020
By the way, @Consistent — The Lincoln Project has a great ad about all the Trump associates convicted or at least accused of wrongdoing. Maybe you can add that to your collection. Those ads are awesome.
Folks, this really happened. pic.twitter.com/EviEJCGvs7
— John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) August 21, 2020
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