Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon arrested over fundraising scheme

WASHINGTON – Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to a fundraising campaign to support the building of the US-Mexico border wall, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

Mr Bannon received more than $1m, at least some of which he used to cover personal expenses, the DoJ said.

He is due to appear in court later.

The “We build the wall” campaign pledged to use donations to build segments of the border barrier – whose construction was a key Trump promise during the 2016 election – on private land.

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