'Former Right-Hand Man' Bannon Who Helped Elect Trump Arrested for Online Fundraising Fraud

Trump Campaign Strategist During 2016 Election... Fell Out with Trump in 2017
Trump Says "Knows Nothing. Haven't Dealt with Him for a Long Time"... Keeps Distance

Steve Bannon, former Chief Strategist of the White House [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist known as President Donald Trump's "right-hand man" during the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the mastermind behind the campaign strategy, has been arrested on charges of online fundraising fraud. He is accused of embezzling a large sum of money for personal use during the fundraising process for the construction of the Mexico border wall, a key campaign promise of President Trump.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 20th (local time), the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced that Bannon and three other men were arrested and indicted on charges including online fundraising fraud. The accomplices are Air Force reservist Brian Kolfage (38), venture capitalist Andrew Badolato (56), and Timothy Shea (49). Investigations revealed that some of the funds raised online were embezzled for personal use or used for other purposes.

According to prosecutors, in December 2018, Bannon and others created a page called "We Build The Wall" on the fundraising site GoFundMe and conducted an online crowdfunding campaign. They raised a total of $25 million (approximately 29.7 billion KRW) and promised at the time that "100% of the donated money would be used for wall construction."

Bannon reportedly used some of these funds to live a luxurious lifestyle. He was arrested on the morning of the same day while aboard a $35 million luxury yacht off the coast of Connecticut. The yacht is known to be owned by Guo Wengui, a Chinese real estate tycoon who fled to the U.S. Guo hired Bannon as a consultant in 2018.

Bannon denied all charges. He was released on $5 million bail but was prohibited from leaving the country.

CNN analyzed that "Bannon's arrest is a perfect symbol of the Trump era." Most of Trump's senior advisors during the 2016 election have shown similar patterns. CNN explained that the situation of Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman, and Roger Stone, a campaign advisor, frequently appearing in court is very similar to Bannon's case.

Bannon is the founder of the far-right media outlet Breitbart and served as CEO of the Trump campaign during the 2016 election, leading the Trump administration's victory as its "architect." Known for his blunt remarks and aggressive behavior, he served as White House chief strategist after the administration's inauguration but frequently clashed with other aides and eventually fought with President Trump. He was ousted from the White House in August 2017 and criticized by saying, "The Trump administration is over."

President Trump is trying to distance himself from this incident. Regarding Bannon's charges, he said, "I don't know anything about it. I think his actions are very bad. It's a sad thing," adding, "I haven't dealt with him for a very long time."

However, it was confirmed that President Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., spoke at related fundraising events, and accomplice Kolfage registered Chris Kobach, former Kansas Secretary of State and close to President Trump, as a director of the fundraising organization. Accordingly, foreign media in the U.S. reported that Bannon's arrest could affect President Trump's path to re-election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.