Steve Bannon, Fresh Out of Prison, Faces New Court Date on Border Wall Fraud Charges
Steve Bannon, former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, is due in a Manhattan court on Tuesday for a pretrial hearing related to fraud charges over a fundraising effort to support Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall. This appearance comes shortly after Bannon’s release from prison, where he served time for a separate conviction. The 70-year-old is set to stand trial on December 9, facing accusations that he misled donors who contributed over $15 million to a private campaign aimed at constructing the border barrier. Bannon has entered a not-guilty plea.
The pretrial hearing, scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EST (1915 GMT), will take place before Acting Justice April Newbauer. The fundraising campaign to support the border wall, a signature Trump initiative, appealed to Trump’s Republican base but was met with strong opposition from Democrats and immigration advocates. Trump’s latest successful 2024 campaign once again prioritized strict immigration policies, underscoring his commitment to addressing illegal immigration.
Bannon’s current legal trouble has roots in a federal case. In his final hours in office in January 2021, Trump pardoned Bannon on federal charges linked to the fundraising campaign. However, the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, filed new state charges against Bannon in 2022, accusing him of money laundering, conspiracy, and a scheme to defraud. If convicted, a presidential pardon would be ineffective against these state charges.
According to Bragg’s indictment, Bannon assured donors that their contributions would exclusively fund the border wall. Prosecutors claim he hid his role in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to Brian Kolfage, the campaign’s chief executive, who had publicly vowed not to take a salary. Bannon’s defense argues that funds were transferred to entities controlled by Kolfage to cover reasonable expenses. Kolfage, a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran, pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax charges in April 2022 and is currently serving a 4-1/4-year sentence. Unlike Bannon, neither Kolfage nor two other associates in the case were pardoned by Trump.
Bannon, a central figure in Trump’s 2016 campaign, served as the White House’s chief strategist in 2017 before a brief falling-out with Trump, which they later resolved. His influence remains strong in right-wing media circles.
In another legal setback, Bannon was convicted in 2022 on two misdemeanor counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a Democratic-led House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Released from a low-security prison in Danbury, Connecticut, on October 29 after serving a four-month sentence, Bannon has resumed his “War Room” podcast, where he continues to criticize Trump’s opponents. He has referred to himself as a “political prisoner,” underscoring his belief that his prosecution is politically motivated
