New Video Appears To Show Steve Bannon Joking About Stealing Funds From ‘We Build The Wall’
Newly unearthed footage from a YouTube live stream in June 2019 appeared to show Steve Bannon joking about “We Build the Wall” founder Brian Kolfage stealing from the organization to help fund his luxury yacht.
Media Matters uncovered the video, which shows Bannon with Kolfage near the U.S.-Mexico border for a fundraiser that they dubbed a “wall-a-thon.”
“We’re on the million-dollar yacht of Brian Kolfage, and uh, Brian Kolfage, he took all that money from Build the Wall,” Bannon was heard saying.
Next to him, Kolfage looked decidedly uncomfortable as Bannon proceeded to play off the comment as a joke.
“No, we’re actually in Sunland Park, New Mexico,” he said.
Bannon was arrested this week after being accused of being party to taking funds from the project, which was aimed at privately funding a barrier along the U.S-Mexico border. Federal prosecutors have also accused Kolfage of using some of the $25 million in raised funding to further bolster his lifestyle, which includes the purchase of a 40-foot-yacht.
Bannon was also charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, as well as using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the campaign for his own personal use. Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea were also charged in the scheme.
The 66-year-old, who formerly worked in Donald Trump’s White House and on his 2016 campaign for president, was released on a $5 million bond and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
As HuffPost reported, the alleged scheme may also involve some of the other individuals within the Trump administration, including Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
The nonprofit organization formed as Congress was debating over funding to build the wall, which Trump had repeatedly pledged Mexico would pay for.
“Everyone who donates right now, your money goes toward this wall — 100 percent of your money goes toward this wall,” Kolfage was quoted as telling investors. “It’s not going to line someone’s pocket. I’m taking zero dollars as a salary. No compensation. It’s going toward the wall.”
The White House has denied that Trump knows anything about the scheme, nor is he familiar with the individuals involved.
However, Shea’s wife tweeted last year that she had met with Trump to discuss the project.
“Had the pleasure of meeting with @realDonaldTrump personally last week in the Hamptons, answered very specific questions about the wall @WeBuildTheWall built,” she tweeted. “[Trump] said I really know my stuff & our group needs to bid the whole wall project.”
