The state charges, which have been returned in an indictment, are based on the same conduct that Bannon was accused of by federal prosecutors in 2020. Then-US President Donald Trump pardoned Bannon on federal fraud charges related to the alleged scheme as he was leaving the office. Presidential pardons do not apply to government investigations. The Washington Post first reported Bannon’s plans to surrender. The Manhattan district attorney’s office opened an investigation into Bannon and the crowdfunding effort called “We Build The Wall” after the pardon. The attorney general’s office began the criminal investigation into Bannon’s “We Build the Wall” fundraising activities early last year after Trump pardoned Bannon. In recent months, several people in Bannon’s circle have been brought before a state grand jury, CNN previously reported. Bannon’s lawyer declined to comment to CNN. When reached by The Washington Post for comment, Bannon issued a statement through his spokesman, calling the indictment “false accusations” and “nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system.”
