According to China News Service, on the 20th local time, Stephen Bannon, the former adviser to US President Trump, was arrested in Connecticut on suspicion of defrauding funds raised for the US southern border wall. Later, Bannon appeared in Manhattan Federal Court for his first hearing.
According to the New York Times, Bannon and four other defendants were suspected of misappropriating part of the $25 million raised by the "We Build the Wall" organization to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall for personal use. New York prosecutors prosecuted. The four were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
On the evening of August 20, local time, Bannon was released on a $5 million bail. When he left the court and walked out of the gate of the federal court, he pulled off his mask in front of numerous media cameras.
On Thursday afternoon local time, Stephen Bannon was released on bail and left the Manhattan Federal District Court. According to the New York Times
When he was at the peak of Trump’s core power circle, Bannon always compared himself to Thomas Cromwell. (Right-hand man of King Henry VIII of England). It is noteworthy that Cromwell's ultimate fate was to be publicly beheaded.
As Bannon, who once appeared on the cover of Time magazine and was called the "great manipulator" and "the second most powerful man in the world," he left the White House after angering Trump and gradually declined to face the The situation of being imprisoned seems to have the same fate as Cromwell.
From the President’s “strategist” to the White House’s “abandoned son”
Stephen Bannon, 66, grew up in a working-class family in Virginia. He later attended a military preparatory school and served in the Navy for four years. He subsequently earned an MBA from Harvard University and entered the investment banking industry.
After a stint at investment bank Goldman Sachs, he turned to media finance, helping produce the comedy show "Seinfeld." This opened the door to Hollywood, producing 18 films, including dramas with actors such as Sean Penn and Anthony Hopkins, and directing nine documentaries.
Then he met conservative media entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart. After Breitbart died of a heart attack in 2012, Bannon took over the right-wing online media Breitbart News. According to People's Daily Overseas Network, the website often advocates "white supremacy", opposes multiculturalism, and calls for the defense of "Western values."
Stephen Bannon picture According to Xinhua News Agency
According to CBS News, in 2010, through David Bossi, the head of the conservative organization "Citizens United", Bannon met with Trump in New York and expressed his concern for Trump's stay. Very impressed.
In August 2016, Bannon officially became the head of Trump’s campaign and helped draft Trump’s inaugural speech. A senior campaign source told ABC News that Trump chose Bannon because he respected his instincts and success. Sources said Trump admires Bannon very much and thinks he is an "energetic" person with "big ideas."
In November 2016, after Trump won the election, he appointed Bannon as the White House chief strategist and senior adviser. According to Xinhua News Agency, Bannon has been vaguely visible in many major decisions since Trump took office, such as signing a ban on immigration from Middle Eastern countries, announcing that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, tearing up international trade agreements, and severely cracking down on illegal immigration.
However, Bannon’s days of “proudness” did not last long. According to the Guardian, shortly after entering the White House, he had an internal struggle with Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law Kushner. In April 2017, Trump removed him from the National Security Council. According to Xinhua News Agency, after the riots over racial issues in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, Trump was slow to clearly condemn white supremacists, drawing condemnation from public opinion and criticism from within the Republican Party. The outside world continues to put pressure on Trump to fire Bannon. On the 18th of that month, Bannon left the White House.
In January 2018, the publication of a new book by American columnist Michael Wolff completely ignited Trump’s anger against Bannon.Wolfe reveals in the book that Bannon accused Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., of possible treason in a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign. Trump immediately used a formal statement to angrily accuse Bannon of being "crazy", and then completely denied Bannon, saying that his election as president had nothing to do with Bannon.
Soon, Rebecca Mercer, one of Breitbart News's major funders, stopped sponsoring the site, and Bannon soon quit the site. But Trump did not seem to have completely broken with Bannon. After the news broke, Bannon stated: "There is no rift between the president and I. We are united." Trump also explained while scolding Bannon. : Last night he said I was "a great person"!
Later, in a townhouse in a prime location on Capitol Hill, Bannon continued to promote his "Western values" through regular podcasts and maintained contact with far-right nationalist movements around the world. Of course, at the same time, he is also busy traveling around under the banner of "Trump" to "make money" by the way.
enriched himself after raising money in the name of "building the wall"
According to a federal indictment released on Thursday, Bannon and four other defendants were suspected of using shell companies to "build the wall" through non-profit organizations, the New York Times reported. Some of the money raised by We Build the Wall was quietly pocketed.
In addition to Bannon, the other three defendants are Brian Kolfage, a U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of "We Build the Wall"; Timothy Shea, a Trump-themed app The owner of the energy drink company; Andrew Badolato, a financial company owner who has had a relationship with Bannon for more than ten years and has a "dark history" of a series of business failures, unpaid taxes and sexual misconduct accusations.
Schematic diagram of part of the "We Build the Wall" border wall construction plan, according to VICE News
According to "Wired" magazine, in December 2018, Kolfage launched a project called "We the People" on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe. Fundraiser to fund border wall construction. The goal is to raise $1 billion to help build the U.S.-Mexico border wall in support of Trump's campaign promise. The
campaign received $17 million in donations within a week of its launch and received widespread media attention. However, when the amount raised exceeded $20 million, the GoFundMe platform suspended the crowdfunding campaign and expressed concern that Kolfage proposed giving the money directly to the federal government to build the wall instead of a legitimate nonprofit organization. The platform told Kolfage it would either register as a non-profit entity or it would return all funds.
Kolfage complied, and in January 2019, with the help of Bannon and Badolato, the nonprofit organization We Build the Wall Inc. was established. They said We Build the Wall was created to allow Americans concerned about border security to bypass Congress and use private funds to build at least 100 miles of border wall.
According to the indictment, Bannon and Badolato controlled the newly formed organization, including its finances, information, donor outreach and general operations.
After changing his name, Kolfage stated in January 2019 that he would use the money to build a private border wall instead of donating it directly to the US government as previously promised. But the GoFundMe website did not allow Kolfage to change the purpose of the donation midway. On January 11 of that year, GoFundMe announced the termination of the crowdfunding campaign, and donors would receive refunds unless they actively transferred the money to "We Build the Wall."
"We the People Will Fund the Border Wall" crowdfunding page. According to Axios
, Kolfage then began calling on donors to donate directly on the "We Build the Wall" website. During this time, the group repeatedly committed on social media, in the media, and in public statements to dedicate 100% of funding to building the border wall. The We Build the Wall website also stated at one point that Kolfage would not receive any money from it.
Ultimately, only $800,000 of the approximately $20 million raised at the time was returned to donors. "It didn't violate any rules," Kolfage told the New York Times last year. "94 percent of the donors we were able to reach chose to stay with us.""
However, according to the federal indictment, the four Bannons actually used the more than $25 million in funds eventually raised as a "private piggy bank." Court documents show that Kolfage, Bannon and Badola The three trustees have already secretly reached an agreement. Kolfage can receive a one-time payment of 100,000 US dollars from the "We Build the Wall" organization, and will also receive a monthly remuneration of 20,000 US dollars.
In order to avoid publicity, Bannon. Badolato was specifically asked to transfer money to Kolfage through another of his non-profit organizations, and in order to avoid leaving traces, the money was transferred to Kolfage's wife's account in the name of "media public relations fees." Court documents show that Bannon himself received a total of more than $1 million through We Build the Wall, while Kolfage received a total of $350,000 for home renovations, yachts, luxury SUVs, golf carts, and jewelry. and other high-end consumption. Shea and Badolato also have hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses. Currently, Bannon has pleaded not guilty in the case.
A group of celebrity sites were involved in the "scumbag project"
until the four were arrested. , the wall project is still ongoing and has raised $25.6 million from more than 250,000 individual donors to date, according to the We Build the Wall website. The privately funded border wall has been built so far. Just less than 5 miles.
A picture of a small section of the border wall funded by We Build the Wall in Sunland Park, New Mexico. According to Reuters
But soon after the border wall started, opposition emerged. Sunland Park, New Mexico, Mayor Javier Perea said the group failed to obtain necessary permits and he ordered a temporary halt to construction. At the time, Kolfage also blasted Perea on Twitter for supporting "open borders." , allowing sex slaves and illegal drugs to enter their communities." Perea received thousands of letters of complaint.
Not only that, the 5-mile-long border wall seems to be a "tofu project."
In July this year, the United States The investigative agency "Propublica" cited warnings from multiple construction engineers and hydrologists that the wall it built along the Rio Grande River in southern Texas has shown signs of erosion by the river water and is likely to collapse if not repaired in time. and fell into the river. The New York Times stated that even Trump himself criticized the project
and Perea revealed that the value of the border walls was only about $4 million. Fisher Sand Gravel in North Dakota built the border wall. Subsequently, the Trump administration agreed to sign a $400 million contract with the North Dakota company to build the government-funded border wall. It is reported that the US Department of Defense. The inspector general is currently investigating the deal.
But previously, the program had received praise from Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol officials, as well as Donald Trump Jr. They include former Kansas Secretary of State Chris Kobach, defense contractor Eric Prince, former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, and former Wisconsin Sheriff Jr., who often defended Trump. Many Trump supporters, including David Clark and former Red Sox pitcher Kurt Schilling, serve on the We Build the Wall project board.
Although after Bannon was arrested, Trump stated that he knew "nothing" about this private border wall fundraising project and emphasized that he had not had contact with Bannon for a long time. But Kobach revealed to the New York Times last year that We Build the Wall had the support of the president.
Donor questions: Exploiting hot topics in the United States for personal gain
Last year, a Florida department responsible for regulating non-profit organizations began investigating We Build the Wall after receiving three complaints. The New York Times reported that one of the complaints came from Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Wendy Tian, who wrote in her personal capacity and raised concerns. She believes We Build the Wall misled donors in its fundraising efforts and questions whether the organization has achieved nonprofit status.
Brian Kolfage raises funds for the U.S.-Mexico border wall. According to the Associated Press
Another complaint came from Harvey Galotti of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who donated $60 for the project. Garrott said he "felt cheated" because Kolfage originally promised to donate money to the border wall, but instead diverted the money to a nonprofit he controlled. "It seems to me that Kolfage simply exploited a sensitive topic, a very emotional topic, and his status as a wounded veteran for selfish purposes and for personal financial gain," he told New York The Times said.
The above-mentioned Florida department said in a statement on August 20 that after launching the investigation in May 2019, the department had turned over the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It is unclear whether the transferred investigation materials led to the arrests on the 20th.
The New York Times reported that federal and state investigators began looking into the nonprofit and found that large amounts of money were transferred to a separate nonprofit established by Shea "through forged invoices and false vendors." The transfer of funds was completed through arrangements and other means,” the indictment reads. In a text message discovered by investigators, Kolfage also reminded Badolato that he had received more than $350,000 in funds from We Build the Wall and that he needed to be "informed" but keep it confidential.
The indictment also states that after learning that they were targets of the investigation in October last year, Kolfage and Badolato began to use encrypted mobile communication software, and the content on the "We Build the Wall" website was also modified, and they Removed all references to Kolfage being "pro bono". Previously, Kolfage promised many times that he would not receive any compensation, and this was entirely a voluntary act.
Bannon and his business partners play the "Trump card"
The New York Times reported that several key operators of "We Build the Wall" have been working hard to tie themselves to Trump's "brand" .
Kolfage, 38, of Miramar Beach, Florida, lost both legs and an arm while serving in the Air Force in Iraq. After leaving the military, Kolfage spent several years running social networking sites such as Facebook and his own news website, many of which were pro-Trump comments. He has also posted multiple videos on Twitter mocking the previous administration's border control efforts and praising Trump. In an interview with the New York Times in April 2018,
talked about how he made money by spreading fake news and directing users to websites that sell advertising.
Image of a Facebook ad for Victory Energy drink, according to the New York Times
Shay, 49, of Castle Rock, Colorado, and his wife, Amanda, used social media to promote their business and began owning it across the United States. gaining increasing popularity. One company, Winning Energy, often uses Trump's image to sell products, such as a 12-ounce can of "Liberal Tears." In July, the brand also sponsored a boat trip for Trump supporters in Florida.
became business partners with Kolfage after Shea established his own social media marketing company. Kolfage used the company to drive traffic to his news site and profit from it.
In 2018, shortly before the congressional elections, Facebook shut down this news group. Kolfage later formed a new fundraising organization with the Sheaes, which received support from conservatives including Donald Trump Jr., and the organization frequently pushed video clips of Bannon. Just the day before his arrest, Kolfage appeared on Bannon's podcast "War Room" to promote another fundraising project-the establishment of the "Black Lives Matter" Victims Fund.
Kolfage admitted that Trump's campaign and presidency were key factors in his business success, saying: "Connecting on Facebook makes people feel like they are involved in an event." He said on social media His business operation eventually gave birth to "We Build the Wall" in December 2018, which eventually led to him facing "jail".
Red Star News reporter Wang Yalin Xu Xu
editor Zhang Xun
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