(An article from ABC says the judge in the case intends to proceed as scheduled. There was a hearing yesterday where prosecutors said some evidence they plan to include won’t extend the planned week-long trial. Today the judge said ‘see you all in court on Dec. 9 for the last pre-trial motion hearing. While she left open the possibility of delaying the actual start of the trial it doesn’t seem like the argument Bannon’s lawyers made for more time made an impression. Bannon IS going to trial and can’t stop it.)
I’ve often said I take my fun where I can find it. The easygoing, “gentle giant” Denis that existed prior to the rise of Trump in politics is pretty much gone. That has meant sometimes what I find fun can be mean-spirited. However, there are people who are so despicable that seeing them held to account, including going to prison after decades of misdeeds and crimes is… Well FUN. Steve Bannon is one of those despicable people who’s gotten away with way too much for way too long. He finally had to spend four months in a federal pen for Contempt of Congress. But he could be looking at a lot more time in a rather less hospitable prison early next year.
Bannon is due back in court in New York on December 9. He faces New York STATE charges on his border wall fundraising scam. Trump might be (to our dismay) headed back to the WH but these are state charges and his Presidential Pardon powers don’t mean jack when it comes to state level prosecutions. Nope. Bannon will be at the mercy of the New York state criminal justice system. If convicted he’s going to do time. In a New York state prison. Best of all the pardon he accepted from Trump AND his conviction (and incarceration) for Contempt of Congress are prior crimes. In practice that means at any sentencing the judge can use them as justification for a longer sentence. Basically, Bannon can’t go claiming “first time offender” status and get off easy (suspended sentence, probation, etc.) the way white-collar defendants so often do.
Let’s backtrack and look at why this is going to happen. I’m sure you all remember Trump’s big ‘Border Wall’ thing. It was a cornerstone of his first campaign. It would be the best, most beautiful wall ever built. And Mexico would even pay for it! It was all b.s. of course and everyone including Trump’s own people knew it. Including Steve Bannon. Ole “Two-Shirts” was already richer than most of us can ever dream of but sleazy as he appears it’s long been apparent he’s far worse on the inside. The ugly with goes all the way to the bone as a comedian I recall from growing up would say. He decided to “help” with building Trump’s wall and enrich himself and some pals in the process. Maybe not giving Trump a cut is what led to their falling out. (Ok, so they got back together but it’s one of those ‘love/hate’ relationships)
The project, a ‘non-profit’ Bannon created to help build the wall promised 100% of the donations would go to building the wall. I’m sure you’re not the least bit surprised that MAGA goobers ponied up over fifteen MILLION for this boondoggle. Or that Bannon couldn’t help himself and started skimming off money for himself and cronies. Bannon sure as hell didn’t build even a few, much less fifteen freaking million dollars worth of border wall. Here’s what it boils down to. Bannon made a quite explicit promise to those who donated money and didn’t deliver. That’s fraud and subject to both state and federal charges.
Now, as we know when it comes to so-called white-collar crimes “intent” becomes a huge freaking deal. Good defense attorneys can make a lot of hay out of the question “How can anyone know beyond ANY shadow of doubt (so much for the legal standard of reasonable) what my client was thinking or their ultimate intent?” In white-collar cases juries buy that b.s. more than we want to admit. Of course, even dressed up for court in a pressed suit and tie and wearing only one shirt, shaven even jurors would see Bannon the way they’d see some typical executive who no one had ever heard of. Bannon’s lawyers would/will make the case that Steve-O WOULD have eventually built a section of wall but it might not get the same weight with jurors as it would with another defendant.
The feds did actually charge Bannon but Trump pardoned him. Oh well. Except that those same crimes Trump gave Bannon a pardon for have New York STATE statutes under which he can be charged. So, as this article from Reuter’s tells us Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg decided to take a look. A year after Trump’s ‘headed out the door’ pardon of Bannon, Bragg secured a four count indictment. Yes, it sucks it’s taken so long to get to this point but things are finally headed to crunch time with that final pre-trial conference set a month from now. I rather doubt the judge will be in a mood to put up with more delays.
So what are we looking at?
According to Bragg’s indictment, Bannon promised donors that all their money would go toward building Trump’s wall, but he concealed his role in diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars to the drive’s chief executive, Brian Kolfage, a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran who had promised to take no salary.
Bannon’s lawyers have argued that Bannon transferred some funds to entities Kolfage controlled to reimburse him for reasonable expenses.
Kolfage pleaded guilty in April 2022 to federal fraud and tax charges, and is serving a 4-1/4-year prison sentence. Neither he nor two other men indicted alongside Bannon were pardoned by Trump.
Note in that last part that whatever Bannon’s lawyers are claiming the cold, hard fact is that Kolfage is sitting in prison as I write this. He pled guilty to fraud (and tax) charges which he wouldn’t have don’t if they hadn’t had him dead to rights. It was cut a deal or roll the dice and wind up with a quite longer sentence. Kolfage took his deal which tells ME what I just told you. He was guilty and the evidence was rock solid. So, who did break the law with to get that money for which he’s now doing time. STEVE BANNON!. Even better, Bannon’s lawyers have been citing Kolfage as an upstanding citizen, his service in the Air Force etc. With that part of the record they are going to look pretty sleazy themselves when Team Bannon tries to impeach Kolfage on the witness stand. I’m sure on direct while having Kolfage admit to his own crimes the prosecution will wind up with all the nice things Bannon and his lawyers said about him into the record. Kind of puts Bannon’s defense truly on the defensive don’t you think?
I also think this could be fun because Bannon’s co-defendants didn’t get any Trump help. You think they might resent that? Also, Bannon is a much bigger fish to fry. Who knows what these other guys have provided Bragg when it comes to Bannon’s activities with the whole scam. Then there’s Trump who can’t pardon Bannon but could kick up a lot of fuss but will he? Oh, I’m sure he’ll comment about how unfair it all is but he’s got plenty of Bannon types around. And remember, Bannon didn’t give TRUMP a cut of the action! That I think is the kind of things that Trump will remember and given his vindictiveness decide to let Bannon pretty much fend for himself.
Well, it’s been a bad week. No getting around that so like I said at the start I (and you should too) enjoy rays of sunshine when they poke through the Trump cloud we’re all under again. Bannon is headed back to court and Bragg likely has a solid case or he’d have given up on it long ago. In Manhattan the jury will be a fair one which means Bannon is wading in deep shiite that’s going to get deeper come Dec. 9. And he’ll be facing justice in a place where Trump, even if he wanted to won’t be able to help him. So think about Steve Bannon behind bars in a New York STATE prison. The thought sure brings a smile to MY face and best of all the odds are it’s a wish that will come true!
indict, convict, jail
Yes Virginia, there IS an Alvin Bragg.
I am just as mean as you are and find this to be not just fun, but hilarious!!! I don’t see a way for him to wriggle out of the state charges at all, and I hope this is actually true. I’d like to see him go to Riker’s Island. I cannot STAND this man. He’s disgusting, gross, sleazy, slimy, sordid, creepy, distasteful, nauseating, hateful, shameless, vile, awful, obnoxious, revolting, vile, revolting, monstrous, repellant, offensive, and I’ll stop looking up synonyms now but the list could continue for quite some time. I have disliked him from the first time I saw him just from the way he LOOKS, and then add in what he’s DONE.
Rant over. For now.
lol, tell u s how you really feel! love the descriptors!
And on a completely different subject, I have found my notes and now I just have to find the tab, for a previous column of yours we discussed for a few moments.
You’ve talked about once having been a writer yourself. I wish you’d consider giving it a try again. I even mentioned it to Ursula. Please, pick something and write about it and send it to me. (If you don’t know how let me know) Who knows? You might rediscover something in yourself, and something others would enjoy seeing. I just sense a spark of passion that’s more than a spark from your comments. And like those of us who write regularly you appear to be something of a political junkie.
Denis, thank you again for your amazing compliment to mine!!! I’m only political here because you folks have taught me and opened my eyes to a much bigger world than I knew. I appreciate most of you so, so, so much. There are actually two things I could write about but they are only political on the edge and not completely like the columns you folks write. It’s a pity, and a little bit hurtful, that I can’t discuss ANYTHING political with my family or my in-laws. But now that I have taken that left turn at Albuquerque, I’m going to drag myself back to the original topic. I would be interested in contacting you but don’t know how. And do you folks get emailed when someone comments? Just let me know when you can. And thank you again for the awesome comment (and request).
And also, just saw a headline that Elon and Vivek will be heading the “Department of Government Efficiency. would one of you PLEASE write about that? I’m all e.otional and pissed off and, and, and, don’t think I could do it justice.
Good to think about in these dark times!