Ex-Trump adviser Bannon declares himself not guilty

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Steve Bannon

The former chief strategist of US President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, pleaded not guilty after his arrest on suspicion of fraud. Judge Stewart Aaron in New York ruled Thursday that Bannon would be released on bail of five million dollars. Of this, Trump's ex-advisor has to deposit 1.75 million as security. Aaron also issued a travel ban to areas outside of the northeastern United States. Bannon has to hand in his passport.  

The 66-year-old was arrested on a yacht off the coast of Connecticut on Thursday at 7.15 a.m. (local time), according to the prosecutor. The New York City Attorney's Office accused him and three other suspects of having diverted money from an online fundraiser to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The non-profit organization called "We Build the Wall" has raised more than $ 25 million from "hundreds of thousands" donors.  

Judge Aaron ordered Bannon to apply for permission to use private planes or boats. He is also not allowed to have any contact with the other defendants or with any person with ties to We Build the Wall. 

In an initial reaction, US President Donald Trump distanced himself from his former advisor. "I haven't had anything to do with him for years, literally years," said the President in the White House. He was not familiar with the defendants' wall-building project "except that when I read about it, I didn't like it," Trump said. "This is for the government, not for private individuals."

Bannon was once one of Trump's closest confidants and was involved in his election victory in 2016, before becoming a strategist in the White House. The opponent of globalization is seen as the driving force behind controversial decisions such as the entry ban for citizens from several Muslim countries. Trump fired Bannon in August 2017, who then returned to the conservative news portal Breitbart. The open break with Trump came after comments he made in Michael Wolff's revelatory book "Fire and Fury" in connection with the Russia affair.

pgo / dpa / rtr