SCOOP: Steve Bannon racked up more than $1 million in legal fees during the Russia probe — then asked Trump's DOJ to reimburse him - by @cryanbarber ($) @thisisinsider businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-t… via @businessinsider
LEDE: As President Trump reluctantly prepared to leave the White House, his one-time chief strategist Steve Bannon asked DOJ for a taxpayer-funded reimbursement of the hefty legal fees he incurred in connection with the Russia investigation, per records obtained through #FOIA
"It is our understanding that the White House supports reimbursing Mr. Bannon's attorneys' fees," Bannon's defense lawyer, William Burck, wrote on New Year's Eve 2020 to the Justice Department.
"We are in the process of obtaining a written statement confirming the White House's agreement and will provide it to you as soon as possible," Burck added.
Burck provided invoices to DOJ dating back to early 2018 with an almost hour-by-hour chronicle of his work on Bannon's behalf during the Russia investigation.
A @thisisinsider review of the invoices shows Bannon racked up more than $1 million in legal fees between 2018 and 2020 as he sat for hours of questioning from the Mueller's team, responded to congressional inquiries & testified in the 2019 trial of Roger Stone.
It was during that same time period that Bannon became involved in a fundraising effort called We Build the Wall, which purported to support Trump's signature effort to erect a wall along the US border with Mexico.
In August 2020, federal prosecutors charged Bannon with defrauding donors by promising that "100 percent" of the funds would be used for wall construction when, in fact, he personally received more than $1 million, much of which he used for personal expenses.
Trump's Justice Department never acted on Bannon's bid for his legal fees' reimbursement. In an email to Insider, Burck said the Biden-led Justice Department denied Bannon's request.
Acting DOJ civil division head Brian Boynton made the denial decision, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The department's civil division handles requests from current and former government officials for the reimbursement of outside attorneys' fees.
The department's civil division handles requests from current and former government officials for the reimbursement of outside attorneys' fees.
When DOJ approves reimbursements, it generally does so at a fraction of the hourly rates charged by premier white-collar defense lawyers.
Lots more to this @cryanbarber EXCLUSIVE. Check it out with a @thisisinsider subscription. Sign up here: businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-t…
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