Uh, it seems the joke’s on you, Steve Bannon.
Just a day after the former chief strategist for President Donald Trump was arrested on federal charges for allegedly embezzling donated funds from a border wall fundraiser for personal expenses, an old clip resurfaced on Twitter Friday of Bannon making a joke about, well, embezzling donated funds from a border wall fundraiser for personal expenses.
In the June 2019 clip from a “Wall-A-Thon” fundraiser — an online event held by “We Build the Wall,” a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border — Bannon can be seen sitting next to Brian Kolfage.
Kolfage, the founder of “We Build the Wall” who promised donors that 100% of the fundraiser’s proceeds would go toward the project, was also indicted Thursday in connection to the alleged scheme.
During the short exchange (which can also be viewed at the 2:12:12 mark in the video below) Bannon tells viewers he’s in St. Tropez, France.
“We’re on the million-dollar yacht,” Bannon says as he introduces Kolfage by patting him on the back. He then insinuates that Kolfage owns this pricy vessel by saying: “And Brian Kolfage, he took all that money from ‘Build the Wall.’”
After the crack, Bannon quickly suggests that he’s kidding, and clarifies that the two men are actually in Sunland Park, New Mexico, overseeing construction for their border wall.
Interestingly, one personal item that was allegedly bought with funds from “We Build the Wall” was an expensive yacht.
The indictment describes the swank sea craft as a “2019 Jupiter Marine” boat named “Warfighter.” A vessel of the same name appears frequently on Kolfage’s Instagram account.
It also makes an appearance in a video for a July 4 pro-Trump “Boat Parade,” which Kolfage helped organize in in Destin, Florida. In the video, the boat is brimming with Trump-Pence flags.
It’s unclear if Kolfage actually purchased the pleasure craft, but the indictment states it was bought with donated money. Instagram also illustrates that Kolfage used it frequently.
Oddly enough, Bannon was on a $28 million mega-yacht named “Lady May” when he was arrested off the Connecticut coast Thursday — though the boat did not belong to him.