2 years ago
Longtime Trump ally and former White House adviser Stephen Bannon handed himself over to New York state prosecutors on Thursday.
Bannon, 68, reported to the Manhattan District attorney’s office a little after 9 a.m. The office confirmed his pending indictment. He faces criminal charges for his role in a group that raised $25 million to build a wall along the border with Mexico but allegedly pocketed some $1 million in donations. He previously pled not guilty to federal charges in the alleged scheme, but was dropped from the case after Trump issued a pardon in the twilight hours of his presidency.
Two of his federal codefendants pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, and a mistrial was declared for a third when a jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.
Presidential pardons only apply to federal charges and cannot shield Bannon from a state prosecution. Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance opened a state investigation that his successor, Alvin Bragg, continued when he took office last year.
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