President Trump is reportedly considering issuing a pardon to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.
The news about Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News who became chief executive of Trump’s 2016 campaign, was reported by Politico on Friday, five days before President-elect Joe Biden is set to take office.
It follows reports that Bannon and Trump reconciled and have been in regular contact lately.
Bannon, 67, was charged in August with defrauding donors with a fundraiser called “We Build the Wall,” along with three other men. The initiative raised over $25 million “under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction,” according to prosecutors.
His exact charges include one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Bannon pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to begin in May.
Bannon was pushed out of the White House in May 2017, but Politico reports that he and Trump have now patched things up. They began speaking again over the past few months about concerns that the 2020 election was stolen, and Bannon has used his War Room podcast to discuss challenges to the contest with guests such as Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer.
Federal and state officials have rejected claims of widespread fraud in the election, and the courts have also been dismissive of legal cases seeking to overturn the results.
The president issued several pardons at the end of last year and has reportedly been considering preemptive pardons for as many as 20 of his close family members and associates.
