Outgoing US President Donald Trump pardoned his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, in a last-minute decision made only hours before he is scheduled to depart the White House for a final time, CNN reported.

Trump told people that after much deliberation, he had decided to pardon Bannon as one of his final acts in office.

"President Trump granted a full pardon to Stephen Bannon. Prosecutors pursued Mr. Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project," the statement from White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany read. "Mr. Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen."

Bannon faces a federal case that began in August when New York federal prosecutors charged him and three others with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of a fundraising campaign purportedly aimed at supporting Trump's border wall.

The pardon would bring a quick end to his criminal case, which began in August when New York federal prosecutors charged him and three others with defrauding donors of more than a million dollars as part of a fundraising campaign purportedly aimed at supporting Trump's border wall.

Bannon's pardon would trigger relief from a series of charges brought against him by New York federal prosecutors, which carried the risk of jail time.

Steve Bannon had helped run Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was credited as a driving force behind Trump's populist appeal, nationalist ideology and controversial policies.