On billionaire John Catsimatidis’ radio show, Steve Bannon claimed he was starting a new 501(c)(4) or tax-exempt social welfare organization to push his and Trump’s agenda.
Basically what this does is allow Bannon to set up a fundraising apparatus in which he doesn’t have to let people know who’s donating. As long as Bannon keeps the organization’s main purpose social welfare and not politics he can receive money through this fund without having to disclose any names.
I asked a source close to Bannon to tell me more about the group. Here’s what they told me:
- The group has no name yet but will be set up this week.
- Bannon plans to use the group to establish a “war council” to promote hawkish policies against China.
- Bannon is obsessed with the rise of China and believes that Beijing will become a hegemon — sinisterly dominating America — if the U.S. doesn’t aggressively confront it. (His detractors inside the White House say his ideas are reckless and would start a globally devastating trade war. Bannon, however, says China is already engaged in economic warfare against America, stealing the country’s IP and technology, but the U.S. refuses to properly fight back.)
- He also plans to use the group to “focus on grassroots efforts” so the base is “unified and energized to support the president’s agenda.”
- Other policy issues that animate Bannon: trade, immigration, education, and inner city infrastructure development.
This is a huge step in the right direction for Bannon. A lot of Republican donors have become wary of Bannon. Even one of Bannon’s initial biggest Donors, the Mercers decided to back away from him. This is due to the way he is viewed in today’s America. Bannon is viewed by many leftist as just as bad as Donald Trump. He is constantly being attacked for being who he is and his website Breitbart is by far the most attacked by the left. With this new organization, he will be able to gain funding and he won’t have to show who is actually donating to him. Why is this a big deal? Well, it’s simple. Many donors might be scared to back Bannon. If people found out they were supporting Bannon the left would begin unbelievable attacks on them. They would attack them personally and financially. With it hidden these donors could help Bannon without fear of the left’s backlash.
You can always debate whether or not the idea these donors would be unknown is a good thing or a bad thing but one thing is for certain, this is a huge step forward for Bannon and the grassroots Tea Pary movement.
