Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser, pleads not guilty in border wall scheme

Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser, pleads not guilty in border wall scheme

Steve Bannon, the onetime top strategist to former U.S. President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to money laundering and conspiracy charges for allegedly deceiving donors to an effort to help Trump build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Bannon, 68, was handcuffed when he came into a New York state court in Manhattan. He was released without bail after his lawyer David Schoen entered the plea on his behalf.

Prosecutors accused Bannon of defrauding donors who contributed more than $15 million to a private fundraising drive, known as "We Build the Wall," for the former Republican president's signature wall.

According to the indictment, Bannon promised donors that all their money would go toward the wall, but concealed his role in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to the drive's chief executive, who had promised to take no salary.

The chief executive has been identified in court papers as Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran who pleaded guilty in April to federal wire fraud conspiracy and tax charges, and is awaiting sentencing.

"It is a crime to profit off the backs of donors by making false pretenses," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a joint press conference with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who worked with him on the probe.

Bannon was charged with two counts of money laundering, three counts of conspiracy and one count of scheming to defraud.

If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison for money laundering, though prison is not mandatory.

Thursday's indictment concerns some of the conduct underlying an August 2020 federal prosecution of Bannon, Kolfage and two other men.

Bannon pleaded not guilty in that case, which ended abruptly in January 2021 when Trump pardoned him in the final hours of his presidency.

Presidential pardons do not prohibit state prosecutions.

"In New York, we have zero tolerance for corruption," James said. "There cannot be one set of rules for everyday Americans and another set of rules for the wealthy and powerful."

James and Bragg, both Democrats, have also been investigating Trump and his businesses.

After being released, Bannon told reporters outside the courthouse that the charges were politically motivated, noting they came two months before the November elections.

"I've got news for them," he said, referring to prosecutors. "We are going to win a sweeping landslide at every level, from school boards to election officials... We are not going to back down and they will not be able to shut me up."

Bannon's lawyer Schoen stood by his side and called the charges a "carbon copy" of the federal case, and said Bannon would fight "all the way through."

Bannon's next court appearance was scheduled for Oct. 4.


PROBES TIED TO TRUMP


Thursday's indictment includes several communications from 2019 involving Bannon, Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, who also pleaded guilty in April in the federal case, where prosecutors estimated $25 million in fundraising contributions.

The indictment said Bannon texted in January 2019 that there would be "

His message was different five months later, according to the indictment, when he told prospective donors at a fundraiser: "Remember, all the money you give goes to building the wall."

Lawyers for Kolfage and Badolato did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A trial of the fourth defendant in the federal case, Timothy Shea, ended in a mistrial.

The state probe of Bannon began under Bragg's predecessor Cyrus Vance.

Bragg also inherited Vance's probe into Trump's company, the Trump Organization, which along with longtime Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was charged with tax violations in July 2021.

Weisselberg pleaded guilty in August, and the Trump Organization faces a scheduled October trial.

Bannon is not the first Trump ally charged in federal and state court.

In March 2019, Vance brought fraud charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort that were similar to federal charges on which Manafort had been convicted and sentenced to 7-1/2 years in prison.

But a New York judge dismissed the state charges nine months later because they amounted to double jeopardy.

Trump pardoned Manafort in December 2020.

Double jeopardy may not apply to the Bannon case because he never went to trial on the federal charges.

Bannon, a longtime Trump ally, champions "America First" right-wing populism and fierce opposition to existing immigration practices, hallmarks of Trump's presidency.

He now runs the podcast "War Room" and often hosts guests who deny thatPresident Joe Bidenwon the 2020 election.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
Canada: Nurse Suspended and Fined 93 Thousand Dollars After Stating the World’s Most Well-Known Fact Since the Creation of Adam and Eve, That There Are Only Two Genders
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
U.S. Treasury Secretary Whitney Bessent Backs Stablecoins to Boost Treasury Demand
Spain to Declare Disaster Zones After Massive Wildfires
Three-Minute Battery Swap Touted as Future of EVs
Beijing Military Parade to Showcase Weapons Advances
U.S. Tech Stocks Slide on AI Boom Concerns
White House Confirms Talks Over Intel Stake
Trump Suggests U.S. Could Support Ukraine ‘By Air’
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
UK Government Tries to Sue 4chan for Breaching Online Safety Act
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
"Every Centimeter of Your Body Is a Masterpiece": The Shocking Meta Document Revealed
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
China Requires Data Centres to Source Majority of AI Chips Locally, For Technological Sovereignty
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
OpenAI’s ‘PhD-Level’ ChatGPT 5 Stumbles, Struggles to Even Label a Map
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×