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AUGUST

**20, 2020**

Dayen on TAP

The Latest in a Long Line of Republican Con Artists

Author and historian Rick Perlstein (who's doing a **Prospect** Zoom
event

with me about his new book

**Reaganland** on Monday) wrote a famous story
back in 2012 about
"mail-order conservatism," the tendency for the conservative movement to
bilk their supporters through hysteria and lies and small-time grifting
schemes. This tendency to rip off the rank and file dates back to the
mail-order empire of Richard Viguerie. Con men were always critical to
the conservative movement. Now, they comprise virtually the entire
Republican Party.

Read the indictment of Steve Bannon

and three associates, accused of defrauding hundreds of thousands of
donors to the "We Build the Wall" campaign, a preposterous effort on its
face to crowdsource the private construction of the border wall with
Mexico. We Build the Wall took in an astounding $25 million, only enough
for one mile

of the 576 Trump means to erect, but about $25 million more than should
be handed over for a building project to people with no engineering or
logistics background.

But Bannon and his pals

**were** experts at thievery. He took hundreds of thousands of dollars
from We Build the Wall for travel and hotels, while Air Force veteran
Brian Kolfage nabbed $350,000 for "home renovations, payments on a boat
(named "Warfighter"), a luxury SUV, a golf cart, jewelry, cosmetic
surgery (!), personal tax payments, and credit card debt," per the
indictment. The money was routed through a third-party nonprofit and a
shell company, using fake invoices and vendor receipts.

The We Build the Wall website, numerous donor solicitations, and written
bylaws of the organization made repeated assurances that all the money
would go to border wall construction. Hilariously, when they learned of
the criminal investigation, they took the "no compensation" pledge off
the website.

Support Independent, Fact-Checked Journalism

Now check out the rogues' gallery associated with We Build the Wall.
In addition to Bannon, who served as chair, the general counsel is
vote-suppressing failed political candidate Kris Kobach; here's a
video of
him talking about the project from the We Build the Wall website. The
advisory board includes Blackwater
founder Erik Prince, anti-immigrant former congressman Tom Tancredo,
Sheriff David Clarke, and former pitcher Curt Schilling. That's
literally Night 3 of the Republican National Convention next week caught
up in this thing.

That's because the Republican Party is now entirely a grift, and the
party faithful just turkeys waiting to have their feathers plucked. They
now worship a carnival barker in the White House, but his style of
leadership through lies and theft has a noble tradition with over 50
years of service.

One delicious postscript here: The indictment was a joint operation
between the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan and the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service, the investigative arm of the post office. Postal
agents even brought Bannon into custody. Neither snow nor rain nor heat
nor gloom of night, etc.

~ DAVID DAYEN

Follow David Dayen on Twitter

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Unconventional: The Democrats, Day Three

Obama delivers his Gettysburg Address. BY HAROLD MEYERSON

Biden Back Better?

The nominee's speech tonight is his best opportunity to actually
explain what he wants to do in office. BY DAVID DAYEN

Women Will Decide Which Man Is Right for the Job

Presidential character is a key factor in 2020. BY ALEX J. ROUHANDEH

Biden Goes After the Youth Vote

But a pre-convention event relied on celebs and young politicians, not
big ideas. BY BLAISE MALLEY

The Democratic Platform Caves on Fossil Fuel Subsidies

Grassroots DNC delegate RL Miller on the Democratic leadership's
broken promise, and how to drag the party to reality on climate action
BY MARCIA BROWN

This Is Not a Convention

It is every politician's dream of a totally scripted TV unity fest.
That's OK for now, but once it's done we need a return to real
politics. BY ROBERT KUTTNER

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