Bannon is not a dumb ass.
To you he may be, but there are areas that he is incredibly smart.
This is the $28 million yacht Steve Bannon was arrested on
https://nypost.com/2020/08/20/steve-bannon-was-arrested-on-chinese-billionaires-28m-yacht/
The ChiComs think the boat owner is a direct threat to the CCP control. Bannon has known this guy for a long time. Xpat ChiCom.
Bannon knows the way the world works. There is more to this puzzle.
He is a genius. However he can't be bothered with administration and legal details. Of course, people like him get someone to take care of this. Did he fail to do this, or did he ignore their advice? I don't know, but he's hurting Trump right now.
You are right. Bannon is no dummy especially on things CCP related...