Bannon, the former executive president of the right-wing Breitbart News, was one of four men indicted by a federal grand jury in New York in August on charges of conspiracy to commit electronic fraud and money laundering in connection with his group roles. “We Build the Wall” profit.
Trump sought to distance himself from the project at the time of Bannon’s arrest, saying it was “done for exhibition reasons” and describing it as “inappropriate”.
Bannon pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and is due to be tried in May 2021.
The president had cut ties with Bannon – who was fired from the White House in 2017 – started speaking again a few months ago to devise strategies to overthrow the election, according to a third person.
Bannon served as a de facto campaign manager during the final months of the 2016 presidential race. After being fired from the White House, Trump said he had “lost his mind”.
Trump has also considered granting preventive pardons to up to 20 close people and family members, including his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, neither of whom has been charged with a crime.
Trump issued two rounds of pardons and commutations before Christmas, including for three former members of Congress, several people convicted in Robert Mueller’s investigation into the interference in the 2016 elections in Russia and four security contractors convicted of the Iraqi civilian massacre in 2008.