Steve Bannon’s Attempt at Exporting Firebrand Populism to Europe is Failing

Reuters was unable to confirm any specifics of the probe. The prosecutor's office declined to comment in response to questions by Reuters about any probes into the group.

The 'Movement' stops

Separately, a Brussels-based Bannon-backed project aimed at undermining the European Union shut up shop last year, said Mischael Modrikamen, the Belgian lawyer who teamed up with Bannon to promote the anti-EU "The Movement".

Steve Bannon and his associates' principal objective was to marshal anti-EU sympathizers and parties to put forward candidates for 2019 European Parliament elections.

Populist candidates from France, Italy and Britain did well, but their counterparts in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Spain did not.

And Bannon's "Movement" found little support from right-wing leaders.

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Some key right-wing parties and leaders publicly distanced themselves from Bannon, with France's Marine LePen declaring last year he "was playing no role in our campaign".

Modrikamen told Reuters in a phone interview this week that he had withdrawn from politics in June 2019 and that there was "no Movement anymore".

A European Commission spokesman declined to comment on the group.

Despite the European projects' problems, both Modrikamen and Harnwell expressed support to Reuters for Bannon and said they wished him well in facing the US fraud charges.

(Writers: Mark Hosenball, Angelo Amante, Philip Pullella | Editors: Scott Malone, Alistair Bell)

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-bannon-europe/steve-bannons-effort-to-export-his-fiery-popularism-to-europe-is-failing-idUSKBN25T1NZ