Trump pardons former far-right strategist Steve Bannon
The outgoing US president, Donald Trump, has pardoned his former strategist Steve Bannon this Tuesday night, hours before leaving power, Charged with defrauding donors to build the border wall, as reported by local media.
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The measure, not yet confirmed by the White House, comes after days of deliberations in Trump's circle on the suitability of pardoning one of the architects of the tycoon's presidential campaign in 2016 and his beginnings in the Government.
Despite his important role in those times, the relationship between Trump and Bannon broke down within months of his arrival at the White House when the strategist criticized the president's children and was fired.
Trump went on to say that Bannon, who had previously run the far-right and conspiratorial Breitbart News, had "lost his mind", and that "when he was fired he cried and begged for his position."
However, after years apart, the relationship was reactivated in recent weeks, when Trump turned to Bannon for advice in his attempts to stay in power despite having been defeated in the elections.
Charged for fraud
Bannon and three other people were indicted last summer by federal prosecutors for allegedly defrauding donors who were contributing money for the construction of the border wall with Mexico.
According to the indictment, Bannon pocketed about a million dollars in the operation.
The strategist has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial, so Trump's pardon falls into the unusual category of "preventive."
Trump was expected to announce about a hundred pardons on Tuesday, something common for presidents before leaving power, but the latest information suggests that the president will rush until his last moment to do so.
