Trump says he’s ‘sad’ about Steve Bannon’s indictment — but never liked the 'inappropriate' project his son endorsed
President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. publicly endorsed the organization now the target of a fraud investigation.
It was reported Thursday that former Trump campaign and White House advisor Steve Bannon was indicted and arrested after his group We Build The Wall was outed for lying to donors and using the money to fund travel and buy things like boats to help the Boats for Trump movement.
When asked about it during a photo-op with the prime minister of Iraq, Trump said he was sad.
"It's a very sad thing. I haven't been dealing with him for very long period of time. Don't know anything about the project at all. I don't like that project. I thought it was being done for showboating reasons. I thought it was inappropriate to be doing," he said.
"I thought it was showboating, maybe looking for funds," Trump continued. "But you'll have to see what happens. I think it's a very sad thing for Mr. Bannon. Very surprising. But just by reading social media and by reading, whatever it is, and by speaking to Mike and Mike, and all of them, I didn't like that project. I thought that was a project that was for showboating reasons. I don't know that he was in charge. I didn't know any of the other people either."
Trump's use of the word "showboating" is particularly ironic since at least one of the We Build the Wall leaders used the organization's funds to buy a boat he used in "Boaters for Trump."
Trump was asked about the striking number of his White House advisers or campaign staff being indicted. Trump attacked former President Barack Obama's administration, saying they spied on his campaign.
That conflicts with the endorsements that his son gave to the group. Donald Trump Jr. even appeared at a New Mexico fundraiser for "We Build the Wall" and an endorsement of the group appears on their website.
Other endorsements from Trump world include Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Corey Lewandowski and former Fox News' Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Kris Kobach, a failed gubernatorial, congressional and Senate candidate, claimed that Trump himself approved of the project in a conversation.
"President Trump gave the undertaking his “blessing” in a telephone conversation Wednesday night, according to Mr. Kobach," the New York Times said in an interview with Kobach from Jan. 2019.
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