United States: ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon indicted for embezzlement

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Steve Bannon, the former strategist of President Trump, is accused by the American justice of having embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars collected for the construction of his anti-immigration wall. Arrested and taken into custody on Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to the two charges against him of fraud and money laundering. 

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With our correspondent in San Francisco, Éric de Salve

Steve Bannon finally walked out of Manhattan courtroom with a smile, despite paying $ 5 million bail and appearing in handcuffs. 

The former adviser is accused of defrauding the heart of Donald Trump's political base. The famous guru of the American extreme right would have diverted a million dollars in donations through a shell company to finance according to federal justice his luxury lifestyle: travel, hotels, luxury cars ...

The ninth close to Trump to be charged

Arrested in the early morning on the yacht of a Chinese businessman,  Steve Banon is pursued with three other organizers of the collaborative campaign "We Build The Wall". All of them presented themselves as volunteer patriots. In total, on GoFundMe they raised 25 million, this money was supposed to finance the construction of the anti-immigration wall of Donald Trump along the Mexican border at the time when Congress refused to release the requested funds. The president's own son took part in this fundraising campaign and widely promoted it. 

"  It's a sad affair,  " responded Donald Trump, trying to distance himself from his former adviser. Steve Bannon is the ninth of his close associates to be indicted by American justice.

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• United States
• Donald trump
• Justice