OLATHE — Kansas attorney general candidate Kris Kobach offered a sweeping defense of former presidential adviser Stephen Bannon amid allegations of money laundering, conspiracy and fraud related to operation of We Build the Wall Inc.
Kobach said alleged wrongdoing involving the organization that raised millions of dollars for construction of barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border took place before he was hired as general counsel at We Build the Wall. He has continued to perform legal work on behalf of the organization as it moved toward an orderly shutdown.
“All the allegations revolved around supposed agreements made when the thing was first started,” Kobach said after a candidate forum Wednesday night hosted by the Kansas Chamber. “I came on after that. They brought me on to figure out how to build a wall on private land legally. That was my job.”
Kobach, who served two terms as Kansas secretary of state, said he was convinced that he wasn’t in jeopardy of being indicted.
Kobach said he cooperated with prosecutors by sharing emails related to activities of We Build the Wall. He said he was listed as a witness for the prosecution and defense in a criminal case against Colorado businessman Timothy Shea that ended in a mistrial. Two other We Build the Wall defendants have entered guilty pleas.
Kobach said he was approached in 2019 to work on the project that raised about $25 million for wall construction on the southern U.S. border. He said he “jumped at the chance” because the country suffered from a porous border.
