Published 06:05 IST, August 22nd 2020
US prosecutors unearth Steve Bannon allies' history of cashing on Trump wave
US prosecutors unearthed the history of men charged along with ex-White House official Steve Bannon having a significant trail of cashing on Trump's popularity
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From a triple-amputee Iraq war veteran running pro-Trump stories to another being the owner of a firm that sells Trump-themed energy drinks, US prosecutors unearthed the history of men charged along with former White House strategist Steve Bannon having a significant trail of cashing on US President Donald Trump's popularity. One of Bannon’s partners has even been a columnist for Breitbart, a conservative news network, and has owned several failed businesses just like Trump.
Steve Bannon and his partners were arrested earlier on Thursday, August 20 (local time) over the charges of scamming donors in an online fundraising scheme aimed at the construction of Trump's promised wall along the country's southern border with Mexico. The former White House strategist has pleaded 'not guilty' to the charges.
All men came together in the alleged fraud owing to their shared support for Trump and willingness to make money from the Trump wave. The US President has even expressed being ‘sad’ over Bannon’s arrest and denied knowing anything about the ‘We Build The Wall’ project scam.
In the latest controversy surrounding the Trump administration just before the November elections, US prosecutors lashed a scathing attack on all the accused. Prosecutors said that the campaigners had promised not to take take a penny from the funds raised for 'the wall' but ended up using most of it in self-indulgences such as Range Rover, a fishing boat, home renovations, and cosmetic surgeries.
Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein has been quoted by agency sources saying that the three partners were using Bannon as a ‘front’ to get people's support and money.
“This cast of characters was using Bannon as a front to get the people behind them,” said David Weinstein. “Him thinking he wasn’t going to get caught — and if he did, that he would be pardoned — may have factored a little bit into why he was involved.”
‘We Build The Wall’ campaign's fraud
Steve Bannon is primarily accused of using the money raised from his anti-immigrant group ‘We Build The Wall’ for personal interests. The entire campaign has come under scrutiny, for it was headed by people who promoted their close relations with US President Donald Trump to raise over $25 million. They even vouched for their contribution to the building of ‘big beautiful’ border wall along the US-Mexico border.
However, as per the criminal charges unsealed on August 20, very less amount of the money raised by the campaign was actually used in the construction of the wall.
Instead, the funds are believed to have made the people involved wealthier. Steve Bannon served the US President during the latter’s election campaign of 2016 and is believed to have received over $1 million by diverting ‘We Build The Wall’ funds.
(With AP Inputs)
04:53 IST, August 22nd 2020