Bannon charged in border wall fundraiser

U.S. President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday to charges that he ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall, hours after he was pulled from a yacht off the coast of Connecticut and arrested.

He and three others were charged in an indictment unsealed Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

The “We Build the Wall” fundraiser was headed by men who pushed their close ties to Trump, giving their effort a legitimacy that helped them raise more than $25 million.

But according to the criminal charges unsealed Thursday, much of the money never made it to the wall. Instead, it was used to line the pockets of group members, including Bannon, who served in Trump’s White House and worked for his campaign. He allegedly took over $1 million, using some to secretly pay co-defendant Brian Kolfage, the founder of the project, and to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses. Neither Bannon, nor his spokesperson or attorney responded to requests for comment Thursday.