Bannon calls federal charges ‘a political hit job’

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon on Friday called his arrest this week a “political hit job” after he was charged with fraud relating to a fundraising campaign aimed at supporting the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

“I’m not going to back down. This is a political hit job,” Bannon said Friday on his podcast, “War Room.”

Bannon said his arrest was an attempt to stoke fear in those that support President Trump building the southern border war.

“I’m in this for the long haul. I’m in this for the fight. I’m going to continue to fight,” added Bannon, who pleaded not guilty on Thursday. 

He and three others were indicted Thursday for allegedly using hundreds of thousands of dollars of donations from the We Build The Wall campaign for personal expenses and other purchases not tied to the wall’s construction.

Some of the funds were also allegedly funneled back to pay the co-founder of the organization secretly.

Bannon and another defendant, Brian Kolfage, allegedly promised all proceeds from the fund would help construct a privately built border wall.

The former White House adviser has also been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, pleading not guilty to the charges.

Bannon’s indictment marks the second former White House official and the sixth member of Trump’s inner circle to face criminal charges.

Trump said Thursday he felt “very badly” about Bannon’s indictment but added that he disagreed with the private wall fundraiser.

“It was something that I very much felt was inappropriate to be doing,” Trump added about the campaign.