Presumption of Regularity

You might think that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon's and three others efforts to raise money to "build that wall" from Trump supporters would be a good faith effort from folks who are concerned about immigration policies.

All four were arrested Thursday morning. Bannon was taken into custody at 7:15 a.m. by federal authorities while aboard a 150-foot yacht off the coast of Connecticut.  

“As alleged, the defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction," acting U.S Attorney Audrey Strauss said.

As part of the alleged scheme, according to federal prosecutors, Kolfage, the founder of the campaign, "repeatedly and falsely assured the public that he would ‘not take a penny in salary or compensation’ and that ‘100% of the funds raised ... will be used in the execution of our mission and purpose.’”

"Those representations were false," prosecutors said, asserting that hundreds of thousands of dollars were secretly routed to the four men. 

More than $350,000 was allegedly routed to Kolfage, and Bannon received more than $1 million.

Sleazy but not surprising. Bannon joins Flynn, Manafort, and Gates in financial shenanigans of former Trump advisors.

This pretty much stands the presumption of regularity on its head.

This is how they roll.