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The Story Behind Bannon's Arrest
American Thinker.com ^ | August 25, 2020 | Grant Baker

Posted on 08/25/2020 5:35:51 AM PDT by Kaslin

On August 20th, President Trump’s former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was arrested on fraud charges relating to the “We Build the Wall” construction project on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The news made for splashy headlines, but story behind the charges was more mundane. Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee veteran and Purple Heart recipient, used a crowdfunding website as part of a political gag aimed at raising $1 billion dollars to construct a U.S.-Mexico border wall. After unexpectedly raising $17 million dollars within the first week, Kolfage decided to hand off the suddenly real and ambitious initiative to someone with more experience, connections, and resources. Steve Bannon stepped up to help the fledgling project navigate the labyrinth of red tape and regulations designed to stop the project.

The crowdfunding website relinquished the funds to a nonprofit set up by Bannon as Kolfage continued to promote the project, raising additional funds while promising to spend 100% of funds on the wall’s construction and not to pay a salary to the organizers. Indeed, the bylaws of the new 501(c)(4) “We Build the Wall” nonprofit reflect these statements. Under Bannon, “We Build the Wall” began paying various construction, marketing, and legal vendors for work relating to the project. One of these vendors owned by Bannon associate Timothy Shea began paying Kolfage for marketing work on the project. Kolfage could not get paid as an organizer but could as an employee of a vendor, receiving a total of $350,000 since 2018 for his work on the project.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: 202008; 20200820; 2020lection; bannon; bannonarrested; kolfage; sdny; stevebannon; webuildthewall
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To: SteelPSUGOP

But it’s not in any way illegal. Wrong? Maybe. That’s for the donors to decide, not the courts.

In the fundraising world, I don’t think $350,000 is out of the mainstream.

The article said that their expenses were about 4% of their income. That’s a phenomenally good number. When I’m scoping out a charity to support, I like to see 10-15%

Keep in mind too that the fundraiser may be paying his own expenses as he travels to fundraising events. (I think that’s not uncommon)

Kolfage would need a personal physical assistant which would double his expenses for airfare, hotels and meals.


21 posted on 08/25/2020 6:05:42 AM PDT by cyclotic (The most dangerous people are the ones that feel the most helpless)
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To: teeman8r
After he's thoroughly smeared...
22 posted on 08/25/2020 6:08:26 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: Kaslin

and yet no one investigates the Clinton Global Initiative scam........


23 posted on 08/25/2020 6:10:34 AM PDT by Lockbox
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To: teeman8r

Don’t count on it. Ask Gen Flynn


24 posted on 08/25/2020 6:12:55 AM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: Kaslin

I gave them a hundred bucks. I bet they’d like to prosecute me, too.


25 posted on 08/25/2020 6:17:25 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (When exposing a crime is treated as committing a crime, you are being ruled by criminals. -E Snowden)
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To: Kaslin

President Trump needs to fire EVERY U. S. Attorney when he’s reelected.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2017/03/12/firing_of_obama-appointed_us_attorneys_isn039t_scandalous_404830.html

Reno got rid of 93 of 94 as AG in the Clinton administration ....most that obozo named had bailed when Trump was elected so Sessions didn’t have as much to clean out.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2017/03/11/politico-2009-obama-to-replace-bush-u-s-attorneyspolitico-today-2017-to-oust-obama-appointees/

Needs to happen again!!!


26 posted on 08/25/2020 6:18:13 AM PDT by Thank You Rush
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To: BobL

...and if a few more Republicans had been elected to the Senate,


Not really. The Never Trump bench is deep in the Senate. We can never “elect enough Republicans” to change a corrupt institution like the GOP. Whenever conservatives get close to “winning” the GOP just throws in with progressive Democrats and outflanks us.


27 posted on 08/25/2020 6:23:10 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: central_va

Apparently, Bagpipes Barr is just fine with the Democrats in DOJ “playing politics” in opposition to Trump. Keep this case in mind when Barr/Durham refuses to indict coupists because he “doesn’t want to be political.”


28 posted on 08/25/2020 6:25:17 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: lodi90

There is no longer justice only politics.


29 posted on 08/25/2020 6:26:16 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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Comment #30 Removed by Moderator

To: Mr. K

This is simply the Obama-weaponized government apparatus. He appointed people that he could either blackmail or knew they’d do his bidding.

The IRS, FBI, judges, prosecutors, etc.. - all set to advance the leftist agenda. I’d be naive to think that it wasn’t Obama himself that (directly or indirectly) has been orchestrating much of the chaos over the last four years, his shadow government in action.

There’s no evidence of a crime here. Every non-profit has expenses, including travel. I noted they claimed the use of ‘encrypted communications’. Is that illegal now? So, in other words, they’re ‘claiming’ that something ‘could’ have been illegal.

So they’re just fishing, violating the 4th Amendment, and hope to find something in the process. This is disgusting, we’re seeing this over and over.


31 posted on 08/25/2020 6:27:39 AM PDT by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: Thank You Rush

Enough Americans were sick of the corruption of the Obama administration that they put Trump in office. They saw Brennan, Clapper and others commit perjury in front of the House of Representative. The entire FBI leadership was corrupt. We wanted arrests! And we got them, Stone, Manafort, Flynn and Bannon. Read Sydney Powell’s book on the corrupt judicial system. The only thing wrong with the book is that she got flimflammed by judge Sullivan.


32 posted on 08/25/2020 6:30:54 AM PDT by Vehmgericht (12)
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To: Dark Knight

My first thought was why not go after the Clinton Foundation? Or the Obama Foundation? IF the Deep State is not willing to do it, then someone can go after them on the same basic charges in civil court. If embarrassment and harassment are their goals, then two can play that game.


33 posted on 08/25/2020 6:36:26 AM PDT by silent majority rising
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To: central_va

There is no longer justice only politics.


Exactly. And when Barr parrots the left with his “I’m not being political” you know he is being political.


34 posted on 08/25/2020 6:44:16 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: Dark Knight

“The question for the prosecutor would be: Do you go after ANY charitable agency that does the same practice? Would that include ones you contribute to? If not, why are you not under indictment, for using a position of trust to further political position rather than as an officer of the court to further justice?”

That question would be objected to and stricken as it is not relevant to the case. I keep hearing too many people say, “They (democrats) did it, too.” True...and...they should be brought into court to answer charges IF, they made promises that the administrators of the non-profit would be unpaid.


35 posted on 08/25/2020 6:45:13 AM PDT by tech_rjmarce1
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To: fuzzylogic

This is simply the Obama-weaponized government apparatus. He appointed people that he could either blackmail or knew they’d do his bidding.


Oh, really? Did Obama appoint do-nothing Lindsay Graham to the Senate? This provably a bipartisan weaponized government apparatus assaulting POTUS and anybody who dares support him.


36 posted on 08/25/2020 6:45:46 AM PDT by lodi90
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To: treetopsandroofs
What he allegedly did was LEGAL, but FedGov has evaluated and is “enforcing” his business contract.

This is why I applied the Bongino Rule to the story. The charges are political. The awful part about this is for some, the impact will have its desired effect yet there will never be a prosecutorial misconduct charge in the aftermath.

37 posted on 08/25/2020 6:49:37 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: Kaslin

There’s a reason Leftists have worked hard at controlling the courts, they can target their enemies and protect their own.


38 posted on 08/25/2020 7:05:04 AM PDT by robel
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To: teeman8r

the point is to keep it in the headlines in the run up to the election. Watch for the process crimes. That is all they have.


39 posted on 08/25/2020 7:29:42 AM PDT by joshua c
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To: Gay State Conservative

...Bannon has done *nothing* wrong and that he’s just more collateral damage in the effort to bring down the President.
____________________

SDNY serves their masters, the CCP.

Bannon and Miles Guo are public enemies to China. Bannon publicizes what is really going on in China and streams thru the CCP firewall in Mandarin to China. Guo defected and hates the CCP so passionately it is sometimes difficult to understand his already poor English.

So, not collateral. They want Guo the most, Bannon next and, of course, Trump.

Watch War Room Pandemic. 9-11 CDST on YT M-F with special shows on the weekends. YT mixes up the episodes, but I found that a search on StartPage with the date desired called up the newest episode. I think today is 351.

They have their own advertisers, so not dependent on YT and for some reason, YT has them up on the platform. Once in a while, they throttle the stream, but Amreica’s voice (the channel) has good tech support.


40 posted on 08/25/2020 7:54:12 AM PDT by reformedliberal (Make yourself less available.)
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