Steve Bannon's border wall trial delayed until March 4 as new lawyers plot aggressive defense

Source: AP

Updated 4:52 PM EST, January 22, 2025


NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Bannon’s trial on charges that he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border will start a week later than scheduled, a judge said Wednesday, after the conservative rabble-rouser hired new lawyers to pursue an aggressive defense strategy.

Bannon, a political strategist and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, had been scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25 in the “We Build the Wall” case in state court in New York. It will now start March 4, Judge April Newbauer said. Newbauer agreed to the delay after summoning Bannon to court to quiz him about his decision to shake up his legal team. She rejected new defense lawyer Arthur Aidala’s request for a month-long postponement.

“I’ve been smeared by a political prosecution — persecution — for years, and I need someone who’s a little more aggressive,” Bannon told the judge during a brief hearing in Manhattan. “I need every tool in the tool box.” “Well, every tool in the tool box does not include delaying the trial,” Newbauer said.

Aidala said Bannon hired him and his firm — including former prosecutor John Esposito and retired Judge Barry Kamins — as attack dogs who are on board with his plan to portray the case to jurors as a selective and malicious prosecution.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-border-wall-scheme-trial-89f2f13a38d13bebd7d085f1b006705e