Steve Bannon, Brian Kolfage and the American Dream — Part 2

This is the second and final part of the Brian Kolfage story— a story of service, of tragedy and triumph, of seduction and betrayal. It was played out on the barren sands of Iraq, along the Texas border and in the West Wing of the White House. In this part, we consider what happens when quintessential American values — rugged individualism, competition, going it alone, accruing wealth — are taken too far.

On August 20, 2020, Brian Kolfage was indicted and arrested along with Steve Bannon, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea. Charges leveled against Kolfage included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud in connection with filing a false tax return. The other three men faced similar accusations.

Brian Kolfage and his wife — who is an Instagram model and brand influencer — had lived well in the year and a half after We Build the Wall was founded. Despire his oft-repeated pledge to work without compensation from the donor funds, Kolfage had actually accepted more than $350,000 for his personal use and he had not reported this income to the IRS. The Kolfages spent the money on a boat, a luxury SUV, a golf cart and jewelry, among other things.

The other three men also took a portion of the donated money in a scheme allegedly devised by Bannon. The…