‘They’ve Got Him Dead to Rights’: Elie Mystal Says He ‘Absolutely’ Expects Bannon to Be Convicted in Fraud Case

The Nation’s justice correspondent Elie Mystal said there’s a strong chance Steve Bannon will be convicted after being indicted by New York state on Thursday.

Bannon was charged with money laundering, conspiracy, and scheming to defraud in connection with his work for an organization called We Build the Wall. That endeavor solicited donations that were ostensibly for building a barrier on the southern border with Mexico.

Instead, prosecutors say Bannon used much of the money for his personal use. The criminal complaint alleges he “solicited donations and raised money from donors throughout the United States, including several hundred from New York County,” based on “false representations.”

Bannon, who served as a White House adviser, was indicted on similar charges by the U.S. Department of Justice, but he was pardoned by his former boss and outgoing President Donald Trump in 2021.

“It’s a very strong case,” Mystal told Ari Melber on Thursday’s episode of The Beat on MSNBC. “He defrauded MAGA people to build a wall. They’ve got receipts, they’ve got emails, they’ve got emails where he is literally talking about how they have to do this so they can keep the grift going. They’ve got him dead to rights on this. It’s a very strong case. I absolutely expect him to be convicted.”

He added, “I absolutely expect Steve Bannon to face the full effects of legal accountability.”

Mystal went on to state the MAGA movement tends to generate grifters.

“This is a feature that I don’t want to say is unique to Trump, but is endemic to Trump and the people he hired,” Mystal continued. “He said that he was going to bring in the best people. In fact, he brought in the dumbest criminals.”

Watch above via MSNBC.