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Ex-Trump aide Bannon pleads not guilty to border wall fundraising fraud

98 Comments
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, COLLEEN LONG and JILL COLVIN

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98 Comments

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Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

36 ( +36 / -0 )

When DOJ officials arrived to arrest Bannon, he was heard saying, "Pardon me?"

29 ( +30 / -1 )

Just another Trump associate behind bars. Lost count.

26 ( +26 / -0 )

The “We Build The Wall” fundraiser was headed by men who pushed their close ties to President Trump, giving their effort a legitimacy that helped them raise more than $25 million.

Wherever Trump goes, the grifters follow along closely. Scamming the easily duped Trump wall backers paid off for him. At least for a while. Bannon, like Trump, knows manipulating the intellectually vulnerable is simple, so to speak. I wonder if Bannon loses some money on this one whether he'll have to cut back the size of his online troll army.

25 ( +26 / -1 )

Why am I not surprised?

23 ( +24 / -1 )

Scum floats to the top of spoiled milk, suprised he is not in congress, or jail.

22 ( +23 / -1 )

Birds of a feather...

20 ( +20 / -0 )

The funniest part about Trump hiring "only the best people" is that even amongst criminals he only hired the worst.

20 ( +20 / -0 )

"Scum" is not the usual term for what floats to the surface...

It is actually.

19 ( +20 / -1 )

So Bannon, not the Mexicans, will be "paying" for the wall with a fine and a short stay in a "country club" prison facility while those duped into drinking the Trumpwall Kool-aid can get some closure in November.

19 ( +19 / -0 )

“The arrests make Bannon the latest addition to a startlingly long list of Trump associates who have been prosecuted, including his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, whom Bannon replaced, his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.”

Only the best people! Trump’s “I hardly knew him. He played a very small roll in my campaign.”

Arrested on a Chinese mogul’s that and says “Pardon me?” You can’t make this stuff up!

Bannon is going to jail and the guidelines call for 7-9 years. Unless...... he rolls. And in the SDNY cooperators have to admit to every crime they’ve committed and to everyone whom has been involved even if it goes beyond the original scope of the indictment.

I can smell Trump sweating from Tokyo. Happy Friday, everyone!

18 ( +18 / -0 )

so the draining of the swamp continues....

17 ( +17 / -0 )

Bannon and his band of bigots stole money from brainless GOP supporters and used it to have a good time.

And the trump supporters think it’s the Democrats’ fault.

15 ( +15 / -0 )

The master steals from children’s charities, the lackey steals from the people.

Thrn there was the NRA stealing again from the not so smart followers.

Seems like bigots are keen to ensure their leaders live in luxury.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

It's like a comedy movie to see people/bots here dismiss fraud and support conmen.

14 ( +17 / -3 )

bass4funk

As the Dems couldn't find anything on Trump...

What do you mean? They impeached him!

13 ( +13 / -0 )

The dumb don jr said this is ‘ private enterprise at its finest’

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Vanessa - he was handcuffed because that is the norm in the US - from minor offences to the deadliest offences, cuffs are the way. You can see it everywhere everyday. You know that.

And he's lucky he's in the US because he was out on bail quick smart. No such luxury in many countries. Here he'd be in for an indefinite period while being asked to confess everyday. Very Lucky Boy.

And the whole thing has a stench about it -pal-ing around with his billionaire buddies while on his elitist Qanon-esque crusades.

Bannon manufactured Trump to further his own and ultra rightist partners agenda. He thought Trump was under his control but didn't account for him going AWOL.

What an increasingly slimy swamp.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

LOCK HIM UP!!!

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Media saying "most" of the money was misused, yet the factual part shared so far claims 1 million of 25 million- which is not "most", its 4%.

lol and? Even if only $1 dollar was misspent its still a crime.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Wayne LaPierre, Jerry Falwell Jr., and now Steve Bannon, all in the past few weeks. I'm beginning to sense a pattern in right-wing leadership. Conservatives might want to start demanding more of their leaders.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Trump is a con man that his poor deluded followers have not figured out yet. And everyone around him knows Trump is a con man and figure they too should get what they can out Trump being President. All of them are the same and so many of them end up with jail sentences until Trump pardons them, like Roger Stone that criminal and total loser. Trump of course belongs in jail as well.

And yet people will still vote for Trump in November as they are all in on the cult that is now the republican party.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Barr fired the US attorney for SDNY. He refused to go quietly and forced Barr to appoint his his deputy as the successor instead of a trump lackey. A few months later she indicts Bannon.

Karma is a witch!!!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Bannon is still on RNC schedule to speak on Tuesday.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Then prosecutors claim it was said that 100% of the money would go to construction. I havent seen that document, and most non profits do have operating expenses and need to pay staff/

"Kolfage eventually spent some of the over $350,000 he received on home renovations, payments toward a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic surgery, personal tax payments and credit card debt."

These sure do sound like legitimate "operating expenses". Maybe he was using the golf cart to shift the concrete.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

No high-definition photos, PLEASE!

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Trump and the GOP, the joke that keeps on giving a new punch line every day.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Donald Trump and his Hole in the Wall Gang. Such a colorful cast of seedy characters.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Is there anyone connected to DT who isn't shady?

10 ( +11 / -1 )

No.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

trump must be sweating that Bannon will start singing!!!!

And looking at Bannon, it won't be pretty .

10 ( +10 / -0 )

I hardly know him.

He used to fetch my Big Macs and diet coke.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Bannon is still on RNC schedule to speak on Tuesday.

Bannon? Along with a racist high-school brat, a trigger-happy Karen and her husband, a pillow guy who's come up with a new cure for covid, a has-been from the good old happy days, pamela's ex, and a demon semen voodoo doctor with yet another miracle cure for covid?

You couldn't make this stuff up. Have they scraped everything and everyone from the bottom of the barrel yet?

Meanwhile, the DNC had people who could string at least two words together, and half the republican party as guest speakers!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

“The arrests make Bannon the latest addition to a startlingly long list of Trump associates who have been prosecuted, including his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, whom Bannon replaced, his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.”

At this point it's quicker to name Trump flunkies who aren't in prison.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

You'd think Trump fans would be hopping mad at Bannon right now, using Trump's name and their sacred wall to defraud their own supporters.

Nope lol

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Wayne LaPierre, Jerry Falwell Jr., and now Steve Bannon, all in the past few weeks. I'm beginning to sense a pattern in right-wing leadership. Conservatives might want to start demanding more of their leaders.

It's part of my theory that uneducated, lower class Republicans like it when educated, rich Republicans walk all over them.

Sure, we'll give you all the tax cuts!!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

The swamp is finally being drained.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

All this over fraud? What is this? The movie "Brazil"? I detest Bannon. I love the caricatures of him as Death on SNL. But all this over fraud? A dramatic, crime show TV-esque apprehension of him from a boat on the sea cost taxpayers how much? The United States has more police agencies than any country on Earth with the Postal Inspection Service affecting arrests? So much for the land of freedom. And he is handcuffed like a violent criminal in court over a fraud case? Really. I doubt most of the people who sent the money to the cause of the border wall even care much. As I have said before they are masochists for their heroes.

Police always handcuff suspects when placed under arrest. This is for officer safety. Twelve years ago when the FBI arrested some 400 people many from Bear Stearns over mortgage lending fraud the suspects were handcuffed upon arrest. Individuals present when a search warrant is executed are almost always placed in handcuffs for the duration of the search regardless of whether or not they are considered to be suspects or later placed under arrest. Long standing case law states that an officer can handcuff a suspect for officer safety while a situation is investigated even if the person is not under arrest and is later released. There seems to be no merit to you claim.

Btw, I am surprised you did not know about the law enforcement powers of Postal Inspectors. They are the oldest Federal law enforcement agency, formed in 1772 by then colonial Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin. They have all of the law enforcement powers of any other Federal law enforcement agency and work closely with Federal Attorneys, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, BATF, etc.. If the US Mail is used in the commission of a fraud the Postal Inspector Service has jurisdiction, will investigate and make arrests as appropriate.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

All that money he supposedly squandered and he can't find money for a shave and a haircut? Look at the fellow, a shambling wreck.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Im guessing he mostly duped eager Trump fans.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

so I can replay them back tomorrow after they watch Hannity, Tucker, and Ingraham dump all over him tonight

Fox promoted this scam quite thoroughly, especially Ingraham. The story now seems to be a bit tricky to find on Foxnews.com though, strangely enough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=cRtI7sz2hic&feature=emb_logo

What does that have to do with Democrats in California wanting open borders?

What?

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Dems thought and tried and failed so many times, can't even count.

Not a problem, counting is not for everyone.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Whats even more sad is that Bannon has a net worth of at least $10-40 million. Why he needed to use that GoFundMe money for himself is just pure greed.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

If what is in some other news sources is correct this isn't a he-said, she-said case. It won't revolve around testimony of individuals against Mr. Bannon and the other two and their memories of past events. It will involve a paper trail of money collected and spent, phony companies and sham payments, numbers on paper showing the flows of money from donors to Steve Bannon's expenditures on personal items. That kind of case is very hard to defend against. He could stand by his plea today but if his case goes to trial the amount of money involved, some $25 million, implies a sentence in the range of 7 to 9 years in prison according to Federal sentencing guidelines. The conviction rate for trials in Federal courts is on the order 90% . He is not a young man. More likely he negotiates a plea to lesser charge and a reduced sentence, or even agrees to cooperate with the Federal investigators for a still lighter sentence. The latter is what I suspect the Federal Attorney's Office is after. The Federal Attorney for SDNY has bigger fish to fry I think that Steve Bannon but my guess is they wish to lean on him hard to find out what they really want to know. Atypical for a Federal Attorneys Office, SDNY doesn't limit their requests for cooperation to the charges at hand. They expect a suspect to unpack all of their dirty laundry for inspection, everything they have ever done wrong, answer every question asked truthfully. They can ask him about crimes outside of defrauding donors to their wall building scheme. They could ask questions about President Trump, his campaign and his family. Don't feel like he is being used and abused. He basically handed the investigators the means to lean on him. If he had kept his nose clean in the first place there would be no grounds to arrest and charge him. He could keep his secrets then. Having been a naval officer in the 1980s as I was he had to know the risks of leaving one self vulnerable to compromise. No sympathy from me.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

And he was also acquitted by the Senate...forever. 

He still remains impeached...forever. :-)

8 ( +8 / -0 )

The "mainstream" media are not practising journalism, they are in the political propaganda business.

Please post links to what we should be reading.

Thanks in advance.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

“When I read about it, I didn’t like it. I said this is for government, this isn’t for private people. And it sounded to me like showboating,” he told reporters at the White House, adding that he felt “very badly" about the situation.

January 2019 -Trump

"The project has my blessing, and you can tell the media that. "

What a loser!!

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I couldn't agree more. If Democrats were serious about border security the country wouldn't be in this situation as well as Bannon.

It wouldn't be in the situation of people defrauding the public to pay for yachts and nose jobs?

But since this wall is on Mexico's tab, how much of the blame do they get?

7 ( +8 / -1 )

For what

Obstruction!!!!

You have to commit a crime first and be charged.

You won’t have to wait for long.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

You'd think Trump fans would be hopping mad at Bannon right now,

in other news on the same day, Federal judge has ruled Trump accounting firm must hand over tax returns to NY prosecutors, follow the money

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I'm beginning to sense a pattern in right-wing leadership.

actually its been a well know fact for over 50 yrs , that Republican administrations have over 38 times more criminal convictions compared to Democrats. So remind me again which party is morally corrupt

https://rantt.com/gop-admins-had-38-times-more-criminal-convictions-than-democrats-1961-2016

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Is there anyone connected to DT who is on the up and up?

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I'm keeping a copy of all the Trump supporters comments here defending Bannon, so I can replay them back tomorrow after they watch Hannity, Tucker, and Ingraham dump all over him tonight - and he instantly turns from hero to scum...

The hive-mind on full display...

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Manafort, Flynn and Stone didn't work out. Let's try Bannon!

Manafort is in jail, Stone was convicted, and Donald's goons at DOJ sabotaged the case after getting a guilty plea from Flynn. What do you mean, "didn't work out?"

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Yeah, so where are the reports about this and Barr? 

Patience, they've started with Bannon, Barr is next.

As the Dems couldn't find anything on Trump

They found plenty, but the GOP was too scared to accept it.

It will come back to bite them now!!!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

When Barr fired Berman, this investigation was the one he was trying to stop.

Waiting for Barr’s prosecution.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Not patience, either Barr committed a crime and was charged or he wasn't and if he was, where is the proof? 

Oh he committed a crime for sure, and he will be charged, and there will be proof.

Come next January we'll see the criminals in this administration brought to justice.

As I said earlier, Patience!!

Like how the Dems didn't want to prosecute Madam secretary.

Since the GOP didn't even try to prosecute, either they were very scared or just didn't have anything to go on.

Me thinks it both.

Doubt it,

Not a problem, the doubters will turn into believers.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Innocent until proven guilty no matter whom he supports or worked for.

yet 6 former Trump associates have then indicted , with 6 convictions, don't like Bannon chances.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Please post links to what we should be reading.

That poster, or maybe it was Fizzbits, for some reason I confuse them, had previously listed Breitbart as one.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

the factual part shared so far claims 1 million of 25 million (dollars embezzled)

Factual? Loose lips sink luxury yachts, Blacklabel.

Only a cheeky $1m? Hardly worth shaving for.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

And you're going to watch it.

If Bannon is the next Cohen, I might.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Yes, which is much more likely what happened than the narrative of "most" of the money.

Its likely that only $1 was misspent? Huh? You've already acknowledged over a $1 million was misspent.

Within 30 seconds of the announcement of the indictment, cable news was talking about pardons. They totally skipped the whole trial and found guilty part.

Yeah and? Can you blame them? How many Trumpies have been convicted? How many has Trump pardoned or commuted sentences for?

4 ( +5 / -1 )

And the great scam that began in 2016 continues...

Trump, the Repubs, the far-right media hate machine - all get rich by duping those weak of mind...

And I'm curious, Fox News is excoriating Bannon as someone who said Don Jr and Jared's meeting with Russians at Trump Tower was "treasonous", and that Trump knew all about Trump Tower Moscow - and that what he was doing with this Crowdfunding was a "classic fraud scheme"....

Yet the Trump supporters here are all backing him.....

I'm sure that will all change tomorrow...

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Vanessa - thanks for your reply,

"...If you just take those red, white and blue colored glasses off and have an honest look, the country has slipped and is still slipping..."

but I think you've confused me with someone else.

Agree with the slipping though - Bannon Brigade is standout proof.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Federal judge has ruled Trump accounting firm must hand over tax returns to NY prosecutors

What, they didn't buy the pantomime boxes?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Here he'd be in for an indefinite period while being asked to confess everyday.

If he's 外, yes. If he's 内, the most perfunctory bow suffices.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Further, why is anyone trying to minimize the alleged crime? Let justice run its course.

There are far too many partisans. It’s weird.

I agree and if Bannon is guilty then he should compensate all those people and should spend a lengthy time in prison.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

And so, the offense continues.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

We keep hearing things like this. That the Democrats block everything etc. Sounds like trump has no real power

Presidents don't have as much power as people think. They have even less if they aren't good puppets.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

I see at least six people don’t agree that defendants are innocent until proven guilty. It is indicative of how far down the toilet everything is when people eschew a fundamental aspect of the US justice system when the defendant is someone who is on the wrong political team.

Thats the left now. Well represented by the mobs currently rioting, looting,trashing and beating.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Patience, they've started with Bannon, Barr is next.

Not patience, either Barr committed a crime and was charged or he wasn't and if he was, where is the proof? Liberal hypotheticals don't mean squat in the legal court of law

They found plenty, but the GOP was too scared to accept it.

Like how the Dems didn't want to prosecute Madam secretary.

It will come back to bite them now!!!

Doubt it,

-9 ( +0 / -9 )

"Scum" is not the usual term for what floats to the surface...

-10 ( +4 / -14 )

in other news on the same day, Federal judge has ruled Trump accounting firm must hand over tax returns to NY prosecutors, follow the money

It won't be that quick. it might not come until the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

actually its been a well know fact for over 50 yrs , that Republican administrations have over 38 times more criminal convictions compared to Democrats.

Because Democrats are for the most part government, so why would they indict themselves? If they did, it’d be a lot more. The list is long on them.

So remind me again which party is morally corrupt.

Barr and Durham will reveal that very soon.

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

@Vanessa,

I agree.

-10 ( +0 / -10 )

Manafort, Flynn and Stone didn't work out. Let's try Bannon!

-12 ( +2 / -14 )

Vanessa - he was handcuffed because that is the norm in the US

That's my point exactly. I am pretty sure it was NOT the norm not so long ago. This is about fraud, not murder. what purpose does cuffing him serve? A power trip.

And he's lucky he's in the US because he was out on bail quick smart.

Rich and famous people are privileged all over the world. If you just take those red, white and blue colored glasses off and have an honest look, the country has slipped and is still slipping.

-12 ( +1 / -13 )

President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was pulled from a luxury yacht and arrested Thursday on allegations that he and three associates ripped off donors trying to fund a southern border wall, making him the latest in a long list of Trump allies to be charged with a crime.

Ah, and of course they have to drag Trump into this. Bannon left the Trump campaign long ago, and if there was fraud with the Build The Wall campaign has not been proven. But expect tons of dirt like this over the coming weeks. The "mainstream" media are not practising journalism, they are in the political propaganda business.

-12 ( +0 / -12 )

Bannon is still on RNC schedule to speak on Tuesday.

And you're going to watch it.

-13 ( +1 / -14 )

Yes, which is much more likely what happened than the narrative of "most" of the money.

Guess we get to wait and see while people here still try to claim Trump protects all his associates from prosecution. Within 30 seconds of the announcement of the indictment, cable news was talking about pardons. They totally skipped the whole trial and found guilty part.

Knowing SDNY political bias the trial will start next week and have that same judge that they give every case to that they want to link to Trump.

Even if only $1 dollar was misspent its still a crime.

-13 ( +2 / -15 )

What do you mean? They impeached him!

And he was also acquitted by the Senate...forever. 

It's part of my theory that uneducated, lower class Republicans like it when educated, rich Republicans walk all over them.

In that case uneducated liberal voters are being taken for a serious scary ride.

-13 ( +0 / -13 )

Waiting for Barr’s prosecution.

Barr won't be prosecuted and for what? You have to commit a crime first and be charged.

-15 ( +0 / -15 )

Its already happened.

Yeah, so where are the reports about this and Barr? 

And yet they couldn’t do anything, lacking in courage I guess.

As the Dems couldn't find anything on Trump and will fail with Barr as well.

-15 ( +0 / -15 )

Bannon says he's not guilty of the charges.

Whether he's guilty or not, one pesky fact: If a proper border wall had been built decades ago, when even Democrats were saying it was needed, this private wall fundraiser project would never have happened.

LOCK HIM UP!!!

He's out on bail. Tee hee!

I hardly know him.

He used to fetch my Big Macs and diet coke.

If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money. - Joe Biden

-16 ( +1 / -17 )

It's like a comedy movie to see people/bots here dismiss fraud and support conmen.

Its sad watching the Trump haters behave exactly how they accused Trump lovers of behaving for years. Anyone who does not know that the patriot John Adams acted for the legal defense of the redcoats of the Boston Massacre should examine that episode. For me this is not about support of Steve Bannon and I am sure its the same for the others you accuse. I detest Steve Bannon. This is about meeting fascism with fascism. Its a mistake. Between the left and the right my country will not survive. In fact, I could make the case its already dead. These methods are going to be used against people you support next. Just wait and see.

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

It wouldn't be in the situation of people defrauding the public to pay for yachts and nose jobs?

What does that have to do with Democrats in California wanting open borders? I'm not defending Bannon, if he is guilty of the charges then he should be locked up, if that's the case.

-16 ( +0 / -16 )

Well let see, they have to prove the case.

Media saying "most" of the money was misused, yet the factual part shared so far claims 1 million of 25 million- which is not "most", its 4%.

Then prosecutors claim it was said that 100% of the money would go to construction. I havent seen that document, and most non profits do have operating expenses and need to pay staff/

Its SDNY, who is after anything they can even tenuously try to link to Trump before election. This has nothing at all to do with Trump, but ok prove your case in court in 2021.

-17 ( +1 / -18 )

Never mind Bannon himself for a second. Think about this:

he was pulled from a yacht off the coast of Connecticut....

At his hearing the same day, Bannon had his hands cuffed in front of him....

Bannon was taken into custody around 7 a.m. by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service....

All this over fraud? What is this? The movie "Brazil"? I detest Bannon. I love the caricatures of him as Death on SNL. But all this over fraud? A dramatic, crime show TV-esque apprehension of him from a boat on the sea cost taxpayers how much? The United States has more police agencies than any country on Earth with the Postal Inspection Service affecting arrests? So much for the land of freedom. And he is handcuffed like a violent criminal in court over a fraud case? Really. I doubt most of the people who sent the money to the cause of the border wall even care much. As I have said before they are masochists for their heroes.

So what just happened? The U.S.S.A just martyred Steve Bannon. I am all for him being tried for fraud but geez, was this power trip necessary?

-25 ( +1 / -26 )

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