Steve Bannon, once one of Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers, is expected to stand trial in a New York City court on Thursday on charges related to his We Build the Wall fundraiser.
Bannon, 68, was convicted in July of contempt of Congressional charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
On Tuesday, Bannon contacted DailyMail.com to call the indictment a “false charge” and the prosecutors “insane thugs”.
He added: “They are following us all, not just President Trump and me. I will never stop fighting.”
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon, center, walks to speak with reporters as he exits federal courthouse in Washington Friday, July 22, 2022
Bannon is accused of defrauding employees of the We Build the Wall project
Before Trump left office in January 2021 after losing the presidential election to Joe Biden, Trump granted Bannon a federal pardon for conspiracy to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges.
The new indictment being filed by New York’s Southern District Attorney’s Office is similar to those charges, reports The Washington Post.
In the charges leading to his pardon, Bannon and others were accused of defrauding contributors to the We Build the Wall project.
The project aimed to crowdfund a border wall on the southern border of the United States. In February 2021, the Post reported that the New York bureau was still considering filing charges against Bannon following his federal pardon.
Bannon is said to have made a million bucks thanks to his role in the We Build the Wall project
Bannon was accused of walking away with $1 million in donations. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In response to the allegations, Bannon told DailyMail.com through a spokesperson:
“Just days after being beaten three times by deranged New York City thugs inspired by the Biden administration to murder me by the police, the Soros-backed prosecutor has now decided, 60 days before the midterm elections, to file false charges against rise up because WarRoom is the main source of the MAGA grassroots movement.’
The statement continued, “Just days after being beaten three times by deranged New York City thugs inspired by the Biden administration to murder me by police, the Soros-backed prosecutor has now decided to 60 days before false charges against me in the midterm election case because WarRoom is the main source of the MAGA grassroots movement.’
It continued, “I’m proud to be a leading voice in protecting our borders and building a wall that protects our country from drugs and violent criminals.”
Bannon concluded, “The WarRoom show is going to be more vital, more intense, more urgent and bigger this time. They’re after all of us, not just President Trump and me. I will never stop fighting. In fact, I haven’t started fighting yet. You must kill me first.”
The statement related to Bannon’s Washington DC home, which was the victim of swatting, the practice of making a fake 911 call in hopes of soliciting a massive police response to the victim’s home.
After that incident, Bannon told DailyMail.com: “I will never stop, so they have to kill me first. And if they kill me that badly.’
“This is 100 percent being triggered by the White House: the White House spokeswoman earlier that day, Biden’s announcements in recent days,” he said.
“The White House is trying to use that kind of violence. They goad the unstable people on the far left into it.’
It is the second time his home has been ransacked.
In July, a caller told police there had been shooting at the address before reportedly threatening to kill himself if officers approached the house.
When the police arrived, they quickly realized it was a prank call.
Bannon has also been in the news lately, thanks to his numerous mentions in President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s memoir, Breaking History.
Kushner’s book details angry accusations from inside the Trump White House over leaks and Bannon’s threat to “break you in half” if the president’s son-in-law took action against him.
But it culminated in Kushner telling the president he was not opposed to a presidential pardon for Bannon, who had been charged with a fraud scheme related to trying to raise private funds to build a border wall.
“Steve was incredibly destructive for your first year in office, but he was there for you in the first campaign when there were few,” Kushner told the president, he writes.
In his book, Kushner describes Bannon as a “toxic” presence in the White House.
In an interview promoting his book, Kushner said, “I think if you look at Steve… Steve was actually with us very early on. He was great in the campaign. He was a great partner when it came to the White House. I think maybe the Force went to his head a little bit or he – it was more what he was.
Ivanka Trump’s husband added that Bannon “undermines us, engages in knife fights with colleagues and just doesn’t help us deliver on the agenda.”
He notes that Bannon “is probably right about a lot of things” and has since become a big supporter of the president.
