I would not be so quick as to buy in to an indictment simply because it is very detailed. I have some questions before hanging Bannon (even in the court of public opinion):
- did Bannon personally set up any of these entities or were lawyers used?
- was legal or accounting advice obtained with respect to any of the alleged acts? Typically, a wealthy semi-celebrity like Bannon would not have done anything much on his own...
- was Bannon just a passenger or was he driving the train? Did he even know the details?
- did Bannon choose the language used in the donation solicitations? Was he even aware of it?
- it is alleged that the $1m went to a non-profit controlled by Bannon, which then paid Bannon - would / could that non-profit have made the same payment to Bannon without the donation from the Wall fund?
These are just a few questions. I am not defending the man. But for me the timing of the indictment, eleven weeks before the presidential election in the middle of a pandemic, creates some level of suspicion that there may be less “there” than advertised. Time will tell.
The money was apparently filtered thru several front organizations but it ended up in the defendants personal bank accounts. It doesn’t make much difference who set up the scheme (although it is alleged that the defendants personally did so) if the money ended up in their accounts after they told the donors they were not receiving a cent. And they attempted to hide and cover up after they found out there was an investigation.
The consciousness of guilt is overwhelming.