Sep 6, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Reports: Steve Bannon facing N.Y. state indictment

Rebecca Falconer

Former White House senior strategist Stephen Bannon leaves the Federal District Court House after being found guilty of being in comtempt of Congress on July 22. — FormerTrump chief strategist Steve Bannon leaves Washington's Federal District Court House in July after being found guilty of contempt of Congress. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist, is expected to surrender to New York prosecutors on Thursday to face a new criminal indictment, the Washington Post first reported on Tuesday.

Driving the news: The Manhattan district attorney's office is investigating a fundraiser to build a wall along the southern border and the state charges are related to a 2020 federal probe into the alleged misappropriation of nonprofit funds, per WashPost and CNN.

Trump pardoned Bannon as he faced federal charges that he had pleaded not guilty to in relation to allegations of defrauding donors to the group We Build The Wall. But presidential pardons are not applicable to state investigations, CNN notes.

What they're saying: Bannon issued a statement late Tuesday to several journalists, calling the expected New York indictment "phony charges" and "nothing more than a partisan political weaponization of the criminal justice system."

The big picture: The expected indictment comes weeks after Bannon was convicted of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 21.

Representatives for Bannon and the Manhattan district attorney's office did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.

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Reports: Steve Bannon facing N.Y. state indictment

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