You already knew it was going to happen once the story broke, didn’t you? 

After it was revealed that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, along with three other people, was arrested for allegedly defrauding donors, the left celebrated the arrest of yet another individual in the President’s orbit. But apparently, this supposed victory isn’t enough. 

Bannon and his colleagues are accused of using funds from a crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall” to enrich themselves. The indictment alleges that these men “orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors, including donors in the Southern District of New York.”

On Thursday, the Huffington Post published a piece titled, “Inside Steve Bannon’s Alleged Scheme To Fleece Trump Voters Who Wanted A Border Wall” in which they intimated that not only did Trump and his associates have a relationship with the campaign, but somehow knew about the alleged fraud. 

As proof, the authors of the article point out interactions between the organization and Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and acting DHS chief Chad Wolf. During their “investigation,” they uncovered the fact that there were multiple points of connection between people in Trump’s circle and those managing the crowdfunding campaign. 

From HuffPo: 

“Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf appears to have been in contact with We Build the Wall organizers and even visited the project site less than a year ago, as federal investigators were closing in. A powerful GOP ‘super lawyer’ acted as the nonprofit front group’s legal counsel. A HuffPost analysis of social media and the public record shows repeated contacts between Kolfage and both of Trump’s adult sons, including during an event at Mar-a-Lago, a Trump-owned resort in Florida. And in some instances, the president himself appears to have brushed up against the scheme.”

The authors also attempted to link Trump to the group, pointing to a tweet posted by Amanda Shea, the wife of one of the individuals who have been indicted. In her tweet, Shea wrote: 

“Had the pleasure of meeting with @realDonaldTrump personally last week in the Hamptons, answered very specific questions about the wall @WeBuildTheWall built. [Trump] said I really know my stuff & our group needs to bid the whole wall project.”

To bolster their case, the Huffington Post also discussed the fact that Trump Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, were “key speakers” at one of the organization’s fundraising events. The campaign’s website also featured quotes from both of them, praising its efforts. The authors also point to another interaction that Trump Jr. had with members of the group at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. 

The article also highlights Kris Kobach, who is an ally of President Trump. He served on the organization’s advisory board and claimed that their efforts had the approval of the President. 

Lastly, the authors explain how Wolf visited the organization’s site only a few months ago. Moreover, they pointed to a photograph of Eric Trump with Brian Kolfage, one of the accused, and his wife at Mar-A-Lago last year as more evidence supporting their claim. 

But where’s the beef? 

Where is the evidence that anyone in Trump’s circle knew about the fraud? Why aren’t any of these people under investigation? The fact that people close to the President interacted with these individuals does not prove that they were in on the alleged con job. In the end, the content of the article adds up to a whole lot of nothing on a sesame seed bun. 

The reality is that HuffPo provided absolutely no evidence that anyone on Trump’s team was involved in the alleged fraud. The piece was nothing more than an implied accusation devoid of merit. However, the agenda here is obvious, isn’t it? The corporate media wants to score more cheap political points against the President even if it means publishing deceptive articles like this one.  But are they fooling anyone?

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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