Trump's Chief Strategist May Have Provided False Information To Obtain Voter Registration
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is the subject of a criminal investigation into whether he falsely claimed he was a Florida resident from 2014 to 2016, possibly to avoid paying state income taxes.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that state prosecutors in Miami have subpoenaed documents including Bannon's lease of a home in Coconut Grove, Florida. They've also contacted landlords, a gardener and a handyman.
The State Attorney’s Office for Miami-Dade County declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality rules for “active criminal investigative information.” But a spokesman for the State Attorney's Office said of the probe, "At this point it is not over."
Under Florida law, it is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to provide false information on a voter registration application. However, proving wrongdoing could be difficult because state law does not clearly define residency.
Last year, after he was hired to lead Trump's campaign, The Guardian reported that Bannon, the former chairman of Breitbart News, was registered to vote at a then-vacant house in Miami-Dade County.
According to the Post's subsequent investigation, two homes that Bannon leased in Florida — and where he claimed residency — were in fact occupied by his third ex-wife, whom he divorced in 2009.
"The Post found that Bannon left a negligible footprint in Florida," the newspaper reported. "He did not get a Florida driver’s license or register a car in the state. He never voted in Florida, and neighbors near two homes he leased in Miami said they never saw him. His rent and utility bills were sent to his business manager in California."
