Bannon's indictment confirms that the American right is made up of con artists

[Nevilledog]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/08/20/bannons-indictment-confirms-that-american-right-is-made-up-con-artists/

If you thought Stephen K. Bannon was going to end up in handcuffs, you might have predicted that it wouldn’t be for a small-time con. After all, Bannon went from running a far-right online publication to the heights of U.S. conservatism, first as CEO of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign and then as “chief strategist” in the White House. He even had ambitions to take his political project global.

But it turns out that the scheme that Bannon has just been criminally charged with is indeed a species of penny-ante grift. Yet it’s the sort of grift the American right has been running on its own voters for decades, which makes this absolutely fitting:

Federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday unsealed criminal charges against Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, and three other men they alleged defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors using an online crowdfunding campaign that was advertised as raising money to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

In a news release, prosecutors said Bannon and another organizer of the campaign, Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, claimed they would not take any compensation as part of the campaign, called “We Build The Wall,” but that was a lie. Bannon, prosecutors alleged, received more than $1 million through a nonprofit he controlled, sending hundreds of thousands out to Kolfage while keeping a “substantial portion” for himself.

If you’re keeping score, the group of people around the president who have been charged with crimes now includes Trump’s campaign CEO, Trump’s campaign chairman, Trump’s deputy campaign chairman, Trump’s personal lawyer, Trump’s national security adviser and Trump’s longtime friend and political adviser.

*snip*

[zipplewrath]

1. Ends as a racket

There's some famous quote from a right winger that says in politics things start as a philosophy, transform into a movement, and end as a racket. We passed racket about the time Fox was born.

[WyattKansas]

2. Alleged charity scemes are a common practice for thieves across the country claiming...

They are die hard Republicans. The MAFAt supporters you seen at tRUMP's rallies are all in on schemes to defraud others.

[C_U_L8R]

3. And a lot of suckers.

It's a juicy target rich environment of dopes willing to believe any old bullshit.

[Initech]

4. Nothing but con artists, scammers, and assholes.

And Trump is the king of them all!