Fox Business host Lou Dobbs has attributed the arrest of Steve Bannon, former Trump campaign manager, to the 'deep state' conspiracy theory. Bannon pleaded not guilty to a fraud charge on Thursday, accused of skimming donations from a fundraising campaign for a border wall with Mexico.
On his show, Dobbs claimed Bannon was arrested not by the FBI or US Marshals but by inspectors of the US Postal Service, an elite police unit. 'Somehow, the deep state launched agents of the US Postal Service to arrest Mr Bannon,' Dobbs said.
The 'deep state' theory posits a conglomeration of bureaucrats and law enforcement agents working against Trump's agenda. Bannon, a key propagator of the theory during his time as Trump's campaign manager and senior adviser, has since cast doubt on it.
In a book published last October, Bannon described the deep state conspiracy theory as 'for nut cases', noting that America is not Turkey or Egypt. He added that while a formidable government bureaucracy exists, 'there's nothing deep about it. It's right in your face.'
Bannon also gave advice to a ghostwriter working on a Trump associates' book, saying, 'You do realise that none of this is true,' according to journalist Michael Wolff.
