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AN 4 25

When Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday this week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) postedon the social platform X, “Evil is being defeated by the hand of God."

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter said, “Good job, JD,” jokingly suggesting that Vice President JD Vance, the last foreign leader to meet the pope before his death, bore some responsibility for it.

In an article published in PoliticoFriday, journalist Jamie Dettmer wrote that this "venom" from MAGA after the Pope's death is not surprising.

ALSO READ:A progressive Pope? Here are Francis' greatest reforms and controversies

"MAGA stalwarts never hesitate to use personal invective and hyperbole to smear and intimidate — it’s their way of grabbing attention while seeking to break opponents and discipline institutions that won’t bend the knee, whether church, university or media outlet," he wrote. "And Francis, who was no friend to populist nationalism, certainly infuriated them."

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The article notes that Benjamin Harnwell — a close associate of former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, who has been working to create a right-wing “gladiator school” at a monastery in Lazio near Rome — wasted no time likening Francis to King Herod, the ancient Roman ruler in Judea who, as recounted in the Bible, ordered the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem, fearing that Jesus was among them.

In an interview with Politico regarding the aggressive tone of his statements, Harnwell acknowledged that he would be a hypocrite for adhering to “your norms of compassion." He went on to say, “I’m very glad he’s dead.”

"The irony is that MAGA leaders are now marching in lockstep with a deep state — in this case, the Vatican’s cloistered and rigidly doctrinaire insiders, who would like to turn the clock back not just to before Francis but preferably to before John XXIII’s liberalizing reforms of the 1960s," wrote Dettmer, who is the opinion editor of Politico Europe.

ALSO READ:Megyn Kelly unleashes on Pope Francis just one day after his death

"Francis began skirmishing with MAGA during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term in 2016, criticizing Trump’s plans to build a 'big beautiful wall' along the southern U.S. border. At a Mass in Ciudad Juárez, he said that a 'a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,'" Dettmer wrote.

The writer further said, "Then, in 2017, Francis warned against rising populist movements, cautioning that they could lead to a new Hitler. Noting that Germany in 1933 was the most obvious example of populism in Europe, 'in times of crisis, we lack judgement,' he told Spain’s El Pais newspaper. 'Hitler didn’t steal the power, his people voted for him, and then he destroyed his people.'"

Dettmer notes that while President Donald Trump didn't directly attack him, MAGA figures targeted the pope because they viewed Francis as a major proponent of global progressivism and an adversary to their movement. Among them, Bannon notably sought support from affluent allies in the U.S. and Europe, particularly traditionalist church members unhappy with Francis' reforms and limitations on the Latin Mass. He aimed to purchase the aforementioned Lazio monastery, Certosa di Trisulti, as part of this effort, per the article.

Meanwhile, Catholics globally are getting ready for Pope Francis' funeral this Saturday in Rome. Some conservative Catholics in the United States are sharing their hopes for a new pope and voicing their criticisms of the former pontiff.

ALSO READ:Pope's Easter address denounces 'contempt' for migrants following meeting with Vance

Despite the criticisms, Francis continued to enjoy popularity among conservatives in the U.S A February poll by the Pew Research Center indicated that 70 percent of Republican-leaning Catholics viewed Francis favorably.

ALSO READ:'Bizarre in many ways': Libertarian reveals what’s behind far right’s 'war on empathy'

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an 4 23

former president Donald Trump's border wall was used by an associate of his former campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, to fraudulently raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for himself. That associate has now been handed a four-year prison sentence.

Brian Kolfage, a veteran of the United States Air Force, reportedly admitted to conspiring to defraud those who contributed to an online campaign to build a wall along the border of Mexico. Bannon, who also served as a White House strategist under Trump, received a presidential pardon by Trump after being charged in connection with the same case, according to the Guardian.

"Bannon remains a prominent presence in far-right media and politics. In September, he was indicted in New York state court in Manhattan on money laundering and conspiracy charges over the planned wall," the outlet reported. "He pleaded not guilty. Trump's pardon of Bannon covered federal crimes but not alleged state crimes."

The Guardian further said that Kolfage, who lost his legs and a hand in Iraq, pleaded guilty last year in the federal case to misappropriating money meant for the "We Build the Wall campaign."

"On Wednesday a US district judge, Analisa Torres, announced the 51-month sentence at a hearing in federal court in Manhattan," the Guardian wrote.

In 2021, it was reported that the theembattled "We Build the Wall" group admitted it couldn't pay lawyer fees despite raising millions of dollars.

Another former Bannon associate, Andrew Badolato, also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the Guardian's article.

https://www.alternet.org/2022/05/problems-remain-for-we-build-the-wall-group-after-founders-guilty-plea/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Build_the_Wall

we Build the Wall is an organization soliciting donations to build private sections of the wall along the Mexico–U.S. border. It started as a GoFundMe campaign by United States Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage in December 2018.[2] Kolfage announced the formation of a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization in January 2019.[3] By mid-2020, over $25 million had been raised[4][5] and a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of fence had been built.[6]

Its advisory board includes politicians and activists with a hard-line stance on illegal immigration, including former secretary of state of Kansas Kris Kobach;[7] former congressman Tom Tancredo;[8]Blackwater USA founder Erik Prince; former Milwaukee sheriff David Clarke;[9] and former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon,[5][10] who is chairman of the board.[11] On December 3, 2019, a Hidalgo County judge ordered the group to temporarily halt all construction due to its plans to build adjacent to the Rio Grande, which a lawyer for the National Butterfly Center argued would create a flooding risk. On January 9, 2020, a federal judge lifted the injunction, allowing construction to resume.

On August 20, 2020, the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment charging Brian Kolfage, Steve Bannon, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea[5][12][13][14] with a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors by illegally taking funds for personal use. The men face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge is a felony with maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.[15]

Organizational history

Beginnings on GoFundMe

In December 2018, Kolfage started an attempt to raise $1 billion via GoFundMe, initially called We Fund the Wall, for the construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico. Kolfage said the target figure was achievable, adding "This won't be easy, but it's our duty as citizens".[16] In an email to The Washington Post, Kolfage stated that he began the fundraiser as "political games from both parties" have been holding back funding for the wall.[17] Within three days, over $9 million had been raised.[18][19]

Formation of non-profit organization

In January 2019, Kolfage posted a message to the GoFundMe page that he had decided that raising money through a nonprofit would be more successful. A new 501(c)(4) nonprofit was created and called We Build The Wall Inc. through which Kolfage plans to have segments of the wall privately constructed through negotiations with landowners along the border.[3] GoFundMe however issued a statement after Kolfage's statement that it would give refunds unless the donor chose to opt into the change to where the donations would go.[20]

By January 2019, former Kansas Secretary of State and anti-immigration activist Kris Kobach had joined Kolfage's advisory board. Kobach said he was currently unpaid, but might take a paid position with Kolfage's organization. Kobach indicated the biggest problems along the border were "litter and security."In a phone call between him and the president on January 23, 2019, Kobach saidDonald Trump, endorsed the project saying, "...the project has my blessing, and you can tell the media that."[21] As the money Kolfage is accumulating is going to a 501(c)4, it could all be spent as "dark money" in political campaigns, with next to no public reporting of expenditures required.[19][22]

Kobach campaigns for Wall and Senate

On July 8, 2019, as he stood in front of a "Build the Wall" banner, in Leavenworth, Kansas, Kobach announced his candidacy for the 2020 United States Senate election in Kansas to replace retiring Senator Pat Roberts, saying, referring to his campaign theme: "I've been on the southern border constantly in the past six months and I can tell you stories that will make your skin crawl." "I don't talk about what the president and I say in our communications, but let me just say he was very encouraging when we spoke a few days ago." A spokesperson confirmed Kobach had spoken to President Trump about the announcement of his candidacy on July 4.[23] Kobach received the endorsement of former congressman Tom Tancredo,[citation needed] who is known for his political views on illegal immigration and is also a board member for We Build The Wall.[24][25] However, despite his best efforts, Kobach lost the Republican Primary to Representative Roger Marshall.[26]

On August 1, 2019, Kobach sent out a campaign fundraiser using both the corporate name and email list of "Wall" donors. Kobach's involvement with WBtW, which is a 501(c)4 organization, has given cause for concern, as the fundraising and campaign mailing lists it is accumulating are prohibited from coordinating with his Senate campaign, but the ability and appetite for effective oversight within the Trump administration are anticipated to likely be inadequate.[27] Common Cause Vice President of Policy and Litigation Paul S. Ryan said, "At a minimum, this Kobach for Senate fundraising solicitation email appears to violate the 'paid for by' disclaimer requirement" for official campaign communications. Ryan specified the requirement that mandates disclosure of the financial sponsors who originate official political communications. Kobach's email might be legal if his campaign paid fair market value for use of the list. If that were the case, a "paid for by" disclaimer would be required but was not present in the solicitation. Ryan said, "If the Kobach committee did not pay fair market value for the cost of disseminating this email, then the committee has arguably committed the more serious campaign finance law violation of receiving a corporate contribution in the form of a coordinated expenditure." WBtW is legally prohibited from financing federal political campaigns in any fashion.[28][29]

On July 23, 2019, Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle of Wichita filed the paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission necessary to run in the race for the vacant Senate seat. She criticized Kobach's employment in the controversial privately financed and constructed scheme to build the southern border wall. Wagle supports the building of a federally designed, bid and funded wall while saying Kobach's group undermines federal involvement. "We don't need some rogue organization going out and building the wall."[30]

Organization controversies

Donation concerns

Concern has been raised about how the money from the GoFundMe would be distributed after the fundraiser has ended. While on the fundraiser Kolfage has stated that he has contacted the Trump administration about donating the money, and citizens can mail money as gifts to the United States, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. He has also cited the 2012 Washington Monument restoration project in which a philanthropist billionaire matched donations to restore the monument after the 2011 East Coast earthquake.[17] It is not clear if the Department of Homeland Security can accept gifts, and if the money is accepted it would still go into a general fund that must be allocated by Congress.[31]

Other concerns about the use of donations were raised in 2019 by backers and others who became concerned about the reported clandestine operations and assurances of progress without physical backing of land being purchased or structures being built. Kolfage has repeatedly changed the date for the beginning of the project under WeBuildTheWall Inc, having told Politico in February 2019 that groundbreaking would be in May or June 2019, then in a March 2019 interview with American Family Radio he claimed the date to be April 2019.[32][33]

Florida criminal investigation

In June 2019, Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees Florida charities soliciting funds from the public, initiated investigations into several complaints, including allegations of questionable use of collected funds, the organization only having one director (Kolfage) on its board of directors instead of the mandatory minimum of three required for a nonprofit organization, and filing false statements about the board. Kolfage responded that the investigation was politically motivated by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried.[34][35]

Criminal indictments

In August 2020, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District in New York announced indictments of Kolfage and Bannon for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.[36] Kolfage allegedly took more than $350,000 for his personal use and Bannon over $1 million to cover personal expenses and pay Kolfage, while concealing their use of donor funds by "creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes."[15] Financier Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea were also charged.[37]All four have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is set for May 24, 2021.[38]

Bannon (but not his accused accomplices) was pardoned by outgoing president Donald Trump at the end of his presidency, but Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has continued to pursue Bannon under state law. According to CNN, shortly after the pardon, Vance subpoenaed Wells Fargo for records related to Bannon's role in We Build the Wall.[39]

Sunland Park wall

The organization began construction on Project 1 using donated funds over Memorial Day 2019. In an unannounced operation, the organization constructed between 1/2 and 1-mile of bollard fencing using "weathered steel" on a section of the border in Sunland Park, New Mexico, on the property of American Eagle Brick Company, near El Paso, Texas.[40][41]

The 18-foot (5.5 m) high fencing was intended to close a gap between a 21-mile (34 km) section of existing fencing along the Rio Grande and mountainous terrain which the Border Patrol said was allowing up to 100 illegal immigrants and $100,000 in illegal drugs to enter the US each night.[42] Jeff Allen, owner of the property upon which the wall was constructed, stated, "They are doing an incredible job. I have fought illegals on this property for six years. I love my country, and this is a step in protecting my country."[43] The fence constructed on Allen's land reportedly cost $6–8 million of the donated funds. The section begins on the Rio Grande river and extends over 2,500 feet (760 m) to the lower elevations of Mount Cristo Rey in New Mexico. Construction was done by Tommy Fisher's Fisher Sand & Gravel, a company that President Trump has suggested should be contracted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, or the US government for federally funded border wall construction.[42] Allen had previously worked with United Constitutional Patriots, allowing them to conduct operations from his land, despite having a hostile attitude towards on his land. The United Constitutional Patriots helped with site visits by We Build the Wall (WBtW) and supplied video that was used in their funding campaign.[44]

Kobach stated that WBtW has plans to construct further barriers on private lands adjoining the border in Texas and California.[43] Now the General Counsel for the organization, he said, "We do have agility, and speed and determination, and that's what I hope you see on display when you look at this wall."[45]

Construction was delayed for two days after the mayor issued a "cease and desist" order, but resumed on May 30, 2019, after research on zoning showed the structure was within code.[40][41][46] In May, after completing a demonstration half-mile wall on private property in Sunland Park, New Mexico, WBtW was accused by local officials of failing to first obtain required work permits. He wrote on Twitter his group had "planned for battle" rushing the project during a holiday weekend "when the corrupt city was partying." That tweet was later deleted. Kolfage also tweeted "So Sunland Park officials support open borders, the sex slaves and illegal drugs coming into their communities?"[47] Both Sunland Park and WBtW said they were laboring to get the project into compliance. A month later, local officials said the necessary permits had yet to be obtained; the city had filed a complaint against landowner on which the wall was constructed. In June 2019, the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) determined that We Build The Wall had built its wall across federally-owned land and had built and locked a gate across a road leading to Monument One without required permits. The IBWC also accused WBtW of installing a gate for the wall on federal land in lieu of proper permits or authorizations, while illegally preventing access to waterways and a public monument.

According to emails obtained via Open Records Act requests, WBtW was informed about such permits and studies that were required to build the gate on federal property but ignored them and proceeded with construction anyway. "We are literally making a mountain out of a molehill," said attorney Rich Kaye, who represented WBtW, in writing to the IBWC on June 3. The next day, Kolfage tweeted video of the gate being constructed. IBWC officials said the gate needed to be kept open during daytime work hours. They also said that the half-mile structure hadn't prevented people from illegal border crossings, but rather channeled them to cross at a nearby dam which created a "safety and security problem." Kolfage responded with accusations, in lieu of any evidence, that both Sunland Park and IBWC officials were corrupt and conspiring with Mexican drug cartels.[48] WBtW and the IBWC eventually resolved their dispute. As a result, the gate is kept open during the day and closed and locked at night, which, according to Kolfage, is fine, because "all the traffic comes through that area at night."[49]

Mission/Rio Grande wall

On October 13, 2019, marked the beginning of Project 2 along the Rio Grande in Mission, Texas. The website indicated that projects 2 and 3 were at 67% of their fundraising goals and could include up to 35 additional miles (56 km). This is significantly more mileage than Project 1.[50] Fisher called it the "Lamborghini" of walls, versus the government's "horse and buggy" design.[51]

Temporary halt

On December 3, 2019, Hidalgo County district judge Randy Crane ordered the group to temporarily halt all construction due to its plans to build in the floodplain the Rio Grande, which a lawyer for the National Butterfly Center argued would create a flooding risk. According to Kolfage, "We have many people who try to stop us legally with silly attempts, and in the end we always prevail. I would put a 50/50 chance [that the court order] is fake news, and if it's not it will be crushed legally pretty fast".[52] Kolfage also tweeted the butterfly center had "rampant sex trade".[47]

The order was ignored and work did not stop.[53]

IBWC noted to Judge Crane that WBtW didn't supply the hydraulic models necessary for construction along the banks of the river, only providing a six-page analysis. Even during the court order, Fisher Industries continued to perform preparatory excavation.[47]

On January 9, 2020, a federal judge lifted an injunction, allowing a construction firm to move forward with the 3 mi (4.8 km) project in the floodplain of the Rio Grande River. The lawsuit continued, however, as IBWC ran hydraulic modeling.[54]

On February 17, 2020, We Build the Wall announced that Project 2 had been completed.[55] The Texas Tribune and ProPublica also noted that in February IBWC Commissioner Jayne Harkins donated $500 to Trump and a Republican PAC.[47]

Erosion

In March 2020, IBWC released their 24-page hydraulic analysis, noting the treaty was violated for hydraulic changes but that overall the problems were relatively minor.[47][51]

In July, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Paxton Warner told Judge Crane that four areas of erosion needed to be fixed. The attorney for the Butterfly Center said the erosion is "massive", and "You can see the erosion actually made a hole under the wall." The consensus among hydrologists and engineers ProPublica talked to said the Rio Grande has scoured against the base of the wall, causing erosion and putting the wall in danger of falling down. Mark Courtois, a Fisher attorney, called it "a normal part of new construction projects like this" and denied it was serious. Kolfage stated it was "designed for floods", but engineers and hydrologists raised concerns, noting that the IBWC model was incorrect. The Fisher wall is also much shallower than federal walls, 2.5 feet (0.76 m) versus 6 feet (1.8 m) or more. The construction also removed vegetation from slopes, increasing erosion risk. The parties agreed to a detailed inspection of the wall on July 8.[47][51]

In response to the ProPublica report and erosion problems, Trump tweeted that "I disagreed with doing this very small (tiny) section of wall", going on to say "It was only done to make me look bad, and perhsps *[sic*] it now doesn't even work. Should have been built like rest of Wall, 500 plus miles."[56][57]

Tax liability

The 638 acres (2.58 km2) of land the wall was built on is part of farmland that belongs to Neuhaus and Sons, and the wall added over $20 million in taxable land improvement, increasing the tax burden by 75 times. In January 2020, Fisher Industries started a lease-purchase agreement with Neuhaus and Sons for the land under the wall, but had not completed the ownership transfer by their court hearing on December 12, 2020, citing a problematic land survey by Fisher. Fisher's attorney, Mark Courtois, was hopeful the US government would become owners of both the wall and land. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Public Affairs Officer Thomas Gresback said that the wall was privately paid for and on private property, and CBP does not have anything to do with the project. CBP is constructing its RGV-03 project wall outside the floodplain 0.3 miles (0.48 km) away.[58] As of July 2021, the property had been reassessed at 100 times its original value, and Fisher was hoping to sell a 3-mile section of wall that had cost $30 million to build.[59]

See also

References

...[many]

an no lnx

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3rd guy going to trial and bannon may be forced to testify?

Two Steve Bannon associates plead guilty to criminal charges in 'We Build the Wall' case

Alex Henderson April 22, 2022

“War Room” host and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was among the Donald Trump allies who Trump granted a presidential pardon near the end of his presidency. Bannon was facing criminal charges in the We Build the Wall case along with fellow MAGA Republicans Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, who continued to face charges after Trump left the White House — and Kolfage and Badolato, Business Insider reports, have pled guilty to charges that include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and making false statements on a tax return.

We Build the Wall was a crowdfunding campaign for a U.S./Mexico border wall, and according to the indictment, it raised $25 million. But federal prosecutors alleged that some of the money was diverted to nonprofits linked to Bannon. Kolfage served as president of the We Build the Wall project, and both Kolfage and Badolato agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors in March.

Business Insider’s Rebecca Cohen reports, “Prosecutors said (that) Kolfage paid himself $200,000 a month using donations during the scheme and also used supporters' money on luxuries like jewelry, an SUV, and payments for a boat. Kolfage also admitted to underreporting said donations on his tax returns to avoid paying taxes.”

When Kolfage and Badolato appeared in federal court on Thursday, April 21, Cohen notes, they “apologized for their actions and admitted they knew what they were doing was wrong at the time.”

Although Bannon, thanks to Trump, enjoyed a get-out-of-jail-free card in the We Build the Wall case, he is now facing unrelated charges in another matter. Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s select committee on the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

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==

https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-post-millennial-and-jack-posobiec-close-relationship/

the Post Millennial, a right-wing Canadian news site gaining fans among the U.S. far-right, has a strange degree of closeness with far-right propagandist and One America News Network figure Jack Posobiec, who​ the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch reports buil​t his modern-day career by collaborating with “white supremacists, neo-fascists and anti-Semites.”

Posobiec is among The Post Millennial’s biggest fans on Twitter. Since Posobiec first shared a link to a story published on The Post Millennial to his Twitter account on March 21, 2019, he has posted approximately 450 additional links to stories on the outlet’s site. By contrast, Posobiec has shared OANN links 54 times since July 2018. These counts do not include instances where Posobiec retweeted ​stories.

“Outstanding original journalism and commentary,” Posobiec wrote of The Post Millennial in September 2019. “One of the best and most straightforward new sites out there. Ton of respect for their work.”

It appears the affection is mutual. Google search results turned up more than 130 articles published on The Post Millennial in which Posobiec is mentioned by name, including instances where he is mentioned directly or his posts on Twitter are cited as source material in news articles. The outlet has also come to Posobiec’s defense when​ Posobiec​ has faced criticism​ for false reporting.

The Daily Beast reported in June that Posobiec had falsely claimed in a viral tweet that crates of pipe bombs were found near the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. as chaotic ​anti-racism protests ​rocked the nation’s capital city​. The Post Millennial published an article claiming that The Daily Beast had bungled it story​, but in its attempt at a refutation, it failed to produce proof that the reporting was inaccurate and that Posobiec had been telling the truth about the supposed pipe bombs. Rather, it allowed Posobiec to claim that an unnamed government agency not reached for comment by The Daily Beast had discovered the bombs. To date, no hard proof supporting this claim has been publicly produced.

In another article, The Post Millennial attacked CNN anchor Jake Tapper for drawing attention to words in a graphic shared to Twitter by Turning Point USA’s Benny Johnson. The graphic pitted CNN ​Chief Media​ Correspondent Brian Stelter against Posobiec, stating that Stelter had “dubious loyalty” compared to Posobiec, who the graphic presented as being a “Devout Christian.” The comparison echoes centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes that allege Jewish people are only loyal to their religion, not the countries they reside in. Stelter is not Jewish, but far-right extremists have repeatedly claimed that he is while directing hate toward him. The Post Millennial accused Tapper of attacking Posobiec “for being Christian.”

During the rollout of an SPLC investigative reporting series on Posobiec’s connections to extremist figures, The Post Millennial published multiple articles defending Posobiec’s character and attacking the SPLC. One article claimed that the SPLC’s reporting was “filled with guilt by association smears” and highlighted Jewish right-wing figures who said they stood by​ Posobiec. Another story sought to smear SPLC’s current president for posing for a photograph in 2016 with celebrity Nick Cannon, who this summer lost his contract with ViacomCBS after making hateful and anti-Semitic remarks on a podcast.

​SPLC senior investigative reporter Michael E. Hayden told RWW that one such story was published​ by The Post Millennial after he reached out to Posobiec for comment :{regarding a photograph showing him at a :(style="background-color:#ffcc66;"):}::{“:(style="background-color:#ff9900;"):}:**:{We Build the Wall” :(style="background-color:#ff9900;"):}::{event:(style="background-color:#ffcc66;"):}:**alongsideDonald Trump Jr., the president’s son. Hayden said that about one hour before his own article went live, The Post Millennial published its story on SPLC’s president being photographed with Cannon, which cites Posobiec as its primary source. Posobiec then tweeted the link to The Post Millennial’s story while his connections to Donald Trump Jr. were discussed online in wake of the SPLC’s story.

RWW emailed Posobiec to inquire about his relationship with The Post Millennial, asking if he had a working relationship with the site​, and if so, whether the connection ​was similar to the one he had to the congressional campaign of YouTube personality Joey “Salads” Saladino. According to FEC documents reported by The Daily Dot​ in 2019, Saladino’s campaign paid Posobiec hundreds of dollars for social media advertising.

Regarding The Post Millennial, Posobiec replied: “I just follow them on Twitter, read their stuff.” Posobiec told RWW he does not receive financial compensation from sharing links to content published at The Post Millennial​ nor does he have a formal relationship with the outlet.

The Post Millennial did not respond to interview requests sent via email. Current and former editorial staff did not respond to attempts to make contact via email and Twitter direct message.

Tags: Jack Posobiec Media One America News The Post Millennial

==

==

https://www.alternet.org/2020/09/donald-trump-campaign-aide-was-paid-20000-a-month-by-steve-bannon-nonprofit-linked-to-alleged-fraud/

salon

senior Trump campaign official Jason Miller appears to have been paid about $20,000 a month for work done for a nonprofit co-founded by indicted former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, according to public court filings obtained by Salon.

The nonprofit — now reportedly under investigation in connection with the federal charges against Bannon — started paying Miller the same month that Bannon’s associates learned they were under federal investigation, court documents and public reports show.

The Trump campaign has not disclosed any payments to Miller since news of his hiring broke in June — nor has the campaign disclosed any salary payments to campaign manager Bill Stepien, according to mandatory federal filings. Publicly available court documents obtained by Salon together with Federal Election Commission (FEC) records suggest that the campaign is paying Miller $35,000 a month, apparently through non-public indirect transactions.

Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have charged Bannon, along with co-defendants Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea, with running a multimillion-dollar fraud and money laundering scheme, in which they secretly siphoned millions of dollars in payments from their We Build the Wall crowdfunding campaign through a shell company as well as an unnamed nonprofit. The group disguised the allegedly unlawful transactions with fake invoices to hide their own personal takes, according to the indictment.

bannon denies the charges.

C.O.A.R.

Though prosecutors do not explicitly name Bannon’s nonprofit in the indictment, the document describes “Non-Profit-1” as predating the crowdfunding campaign and being dedicated to promoting “economic nationalism and American sovereignty.” This would appear to describe the Bannon-founded nonprofit called Citizens of the American Republic (COAR),which first filed a tax return in 2017. Its website says the group “seeks to advance the ideals of Economic Nationalism and American Sovereignty.”

Miller co-hosted a podcast with Bannon for COAR, reportedly beginning in October 2019.

In an Aug. 23 interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Millertold host Chuck Todd that although he had worked for COAR, he had not been interviewed by government investigators.

“I have not, and from public reports it looks like this investigation was going long before the podcast even started, the podcast and the radio show that I co-hosted with Steve,” Miller said.

While the exact timeline of the federal investigation is not a matter of public record, the Florida Agriculture Commissioner reportedly opened a probe into We Build the Wall in May 2019, but had not been contacted by SDNY investigators despite referring elements of the case to the FBI.

However, the charging document against Bannon and the other three men accused says they were first alerted that they were under federal investigation by a financial institution around October 2019, after which group members began communicating via encrypted messaging apps.

Miller had joined Bannon’s podcast that same month, and ordinal invoices that Miller references in public filings in Florida court suggest COAR began to pay him around that time.

Those filings, obtained by Salon, show that Miller appears to have been paid around $20,000 a month for his work at COAR, from October 2019 until as recently as April 2020 — six months after Bannon’s group allegedly took steps to conceal communications after learning they were under investigation.

It’s not clear what, if anything, Miller’s COAR income, effectually a $240,000 annual salary, covered in addition to podcasts and radio shows, nor is it clear exactly why the business relationship ended when it did, around April 2020. By comparison, COAR’s 2018 tax returns, which predate the investigation timeline but are the most recent available, show that the highest-paid official at that time was making $55,000 a year, and the highest-paid contractor — a Wyoming entity called Fortress FM — received $191,000 for “security, logistics and training.”

Federal prosecutors say in the Bannon indictment that they are seeking to seize assets belonging to “Non-Profit-1” — presumably COAR.

“These allegations are very serious and I hope that Steve has some good answers for the things he’s been accused of,” Miller told Todd. “It’s not something I worked on. I don’t know anything about the financial dealings of this organization or how it worked, and I hope Steve has an opportunity to tell his side of the story.”

However, Delgado alleged in court that Teneo and Miller did not in fact discontinue their relationship, but that Teneo privately began paying SHW Partners immediately after Miller’s public departure.

Miller was ordered by a Florida judge to resume paying Delgado $3,167 a month in child support beginning this July, per court filings, but when he failed to comply at the end of the month Delgado motioned that the court hold him in contempt. The current status of the case is unclear.

However, Miller’s most recent filings in the Delgado case, obtained by Salon, suggest that the Trump campaign is currently paying him $35,000 a month. Miller claims current monthly income of an even $35,000, and had no other known clients when he took the position and has disclosed no new clients since — it would be unusual, but not unthinkable, for a senior campaign official to have other, secret clients while on the campaign.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to Salon’s questions.

(Miller also claims in those filings liabilities of $250,000 to the IRS and $65,000 to the Commonwealth of Virginia, but because he does not itemize debt amortization, both might be projections for taxes owed for the current fiscal year — Miller is self-employed. He also says he’s in possession of a baseball card collection worth $10,000.)

FEC filings show that the Trump campaign has made a number of payments to Jamestown this year of between approximately $7,500 and $45,500, through June. In July, the campaign’s expenditures to Jamestown increased significantly, including a $78,394 payment on July 13 and a $133,800 payment on July 28. Miller joined the campaign in June, and Stepien was promoted July 15. The campaign reports that the disbursements were for “video production services.”

When asked if the missing receipts for Stepien and Miller seemed unusual, Brendan Fischer, director of the Federal Reform Program at the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), told Salon, “It doesn’t surprise me at all. The Trump campaign has disguised millions of dollars in payments to personnel and vendors by routing the money through LLCs created or managed by senior Trump campaign officials.”

The CLC recently filed an FEC complaint alleging that the Trump campaign has unlawfully hidden at least $170 million in payments through shell companies, thereby keeping its spending a secret form the public, law enforcement and its own donors. Some of those hidden payments have allegedly gone towards salaries — such as to Kimberly Guilfoyle and Lara Trump — and were made through an entity controlled by Parscale.

Reporting sourced this spring from White House advisers suggests that Parscale paid Guilfoyle and Lara Trump $180,000 a year, the rough equivalent of a top White House salary, but those sums have not been verified. Miller’s recent court filings suggest that his campaign salary might more than double that, and Stepien’s salary is unknown.

A great many of Trump’s donors contribute in small dollar amounts.

A Trump campaign spokesperson, Jamestown Associates and Teneo did not respond to Salon’s questions. COAR and A.J. Delgado did not immediately respond to request for comment.