Details of the charges are unclear, but sources confirmed to ABC News that the charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office stem from the federal prosecution of Bannon over “We Build the Wall,” an online fundraising campaign for a wall along the US-Mexico border. In the federal case, Bannon was accused of defrauding donors and using the money for personal expenses. Trump pardoned Bannon on his last day in office, but two defendants who were not pardoned have pleaded guilty. The pardon applies only to the federal case and does not preclude state charges, the specifics of which were not immediately clear. The Manhattan district attorney’s office had no comment when reached by ABC News. Bannon, through a spokesman, issued a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, saying, in part, “This is nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system.” The Washington Post first reported the news. Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist before leaving the White House in August 2017, was found guilty in July of defying a subpoena from the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Bannon was subpoenaed by the committee on January 6 for the record and to testify in September 2021. After the House of Representatives voted to hold him in contempt for defying the subpoena, the Justice Department in November charged him with two counts of criminal contempt of Congress. ABC News’ Mike Levine contributed to this report.
