This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
Stephen Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, was charged Thursday with defrauding donors to a private fundraising effort called We Build the Wall. The campaign aimed to crowdfund sections of a wall on the U.S.–Mexico border. Bannon worked with Brian Kolfage, a wounded Air Force veteran, and Andrew Badolato, a Florida venture capitalist, to allegedly cheat hundreds of thousands of donors who gave more than $25 million. They promised all donated money would be used to build sections of the wall, but used much of it for themselves instead, according to prosecutors.
Bannon allegedly used nearly $1 million for personal expenses, and was arrested while onboard the boat 150-foot yacht of his friend the fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. The arrest comes after a steep decline for Bannon. He played a key role in Trump’s victory in 2016 as his final campaign manager, and then joined Trump’s administration as an adviser but was fired in August 2017. Trump said he felt badly about Bannon’s arrest but he hadn’t dealt with him for a long time. Trump also said that he knew nothing about the We Build the Wall project, but then contradicted himself to say it was inappropriate. His son Donald Trump Jr. and other current and former administration officials publicly promoted the effort. Bannon’s partners Kolfage and Badolato, as well as Timothy Shea, were also arrested on Thursday. Kolfage said that he would not take a penny in salary or compensation when he announced the GoFundMe. According to prosecutors, Kolfage spent $350,000 of the money raised on home renovations, boat payments, a luxury S.U.V., a golf cart, jewelry and cosmetic surgery. The New York Times
Support the work of Documented
Documented was founded with the goal of making sure the people affected by our stories were also the people reading them. Immigration reporting is often extractive and isn’t produced or published with the main protagonists as the intended audience. Through our reporting and out outreach via WhatsApp, we’ve created award-winning journalism that is created with and for New York’s immigrant communities. This work is not easy and it is not cheap. Consider becoming a member today to help fuel this work. By joining the Documented Community, you can not help only provide us with the financial freedom needed to fulfill our mission but also meet others who are passionate about immigration in the New York area. Become a member today.
