According to a review by American Ledger, several Republican Arizona lawmakers in the state House and a prominent state Senate candidate used their political offices and platforms to support Steve Bannon’s We Build the Wall, a group now facing blistering allegations of extensive fraudulent activity.

Despite being warned about We Build the Wall’s potentially fraudulent activity in other states, Representative Jeff Weninger (LD-17) cosponsored and Representatives Walter Blackman (LD-6), Shawnna Bolick (LD-20), Anthony Kern (LD-20), and Weninger voted to pass HB 2084, a bill that would allow groups like Bannon’s to construct a border wall on private property without obtaining a permit or permission. Republican LD-6 candidate Wendy Rogers proudly supported the bill on social media after Bannon held a rally for her and donated thousands to her 2018 congressional campaign via a super PAC affiliated with him.

Recently, federal authorities arrested Steve Bannon and another organizer, Brian Kolfage, for defrauding donors and allegedly taking over $1 million from We Build the Wall for lavish personal expenses. Republican elected officials Blackman, Bolick, Kern, and Weninger used the power of the state government to pander to Bannon’s fraudulent enterprise which skimmed massive amounts of money from ordinary people, and candidate Rogers made We Build the Wall’s pledge to build a racist border wall a central focus of her campaign.

As Bannon awaits trial in federal court for his alleged crimes, all of the representatives are up for reelection to the Arizona Legislature in 2020, and Rogers is running for the state Senate in District 6.


Contact Chai Karve at ckarve@americanbridge.org