Trump: Bannon arrest 'sad,' didn't know about it

President Donald Trump calls the arrest of his former chief strategist Steve Bannon "sad."

Bannon was arrested Thursday on charges that he and three others ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall, making him the latest in a long list of Trump associates to be indicted or charged.

Trump on Thursday told reporters that he know nothing about the project, and never believed in a privately-financed barrier.

“I thought that was a project being done for showboating reasons," he said.

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. They touted their effort to help the president realize his vision of a “big beautiful” border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, especially after his effort to redirect millions in government funds, was held up through lawsuits.

But according to the criminal charges unsealed Thursday, very little of the wall was actually constructed. Instead, the money lined the pockets of some of those involved. Bannon, who served in Trump's 2016 campaign and White House, received over $1 million himself, using some to secretly pay co-defendant, Brian Kolfage, the founder of the project, and to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars of Bannon's personal expenses.

According to the indictment, Bannon promised that 100% of the donated money would be used for the project, but the defendants collectively used hundreds of thousands of dollars in a manner inconsistent with the organization’s public representations.

They faked invoices and sham “vendor” arrangements, among other ways, to hide what was really happening, according to the indictment. “All money donated to the ‘We Build the Wall’ campaign goes directly to wall!!! Not anyone’s pocket," the lawsuit said.

Bannon is among a stunning list of former Trump associates who have found themselves under indictment or in jail, including his former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Trump also spoke about a federal judge clearing the way for Manhattan's top prosecutor to get the president’s tax returns, rejecting a last-ditch attempt by his lawyers to block a subpoena issued to his accounting firm.

Trump's lawyers immediately appealed U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero's decision to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.