Steve Bannon wins week-long delay of trial for ‘We Build the Wall’ crowdfunding scam

Steve Bannon convinced a Manhattan judge Wednesday to fto a “more aggressive” lawyer support him against charges akin to those President Trump pardoned him for and won a week-long hold of his upcoming trial. 

At a little hearing, Manhattan Supreme Court Judge April Newbauer granted a petition from Bannon to clasp lawyer Arthur Aidala successful the “We Build the Wall” fraud lawsuit aft summoning the right-wing governmental strategist to tribunal to explain himself.

“The crushed was I’ve been smeared by a governmental prosecution, persecution for years,” Bannon said. “I request radical that are much assertive and volition usage each instrumentality successful the toolbox to combat this.”

Rescheduling the proceedings by a week to March 4, the justice told Bannon, “Every instrumentality successful the toolbox does not see delaying the trial.” She agreed to the little hold truthful Aidala could drawback up. 

At the hearing, Aidala rejected accusations by the prosecution that he’d disingenuously sought to hold the proceedings erstwhile helium asked them to hold to a hold so helium could archetypal correspond Harvey Weinstein successful his unrelated rape and intersexual battle matter. A proceedings day has not yet been acceptable successful that case.

Barry Williams for New York Daily News

Arthur Aidala speaks to the media extracurricular Manhattan Criminal Court Wednesday, May 29, 2024 (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

The switch-up marks Bannon’s second, with his archetypal acceptable of lawyers asking to retreat from the lawsuit successful January 2023 when they said he’d go intolerable to represent.

Aidala said Bannon archetypal approached his steadfast successful December and that helium turned him down. The lawyer changed his caput successful aboriginal January, a mates of days aft learning Trump wasn’t picking him to beryllium the caller U.S. lawyer for the Eastern District of New York, for which helium was rumored to beryllium nether consideration. 

Bannon, 71, has pleaded not blameworthy to 2 counts of wealth laundering, 3 counts of conspiracy and 1 number of strategy to defraud successful the lawsuit filed successful September 2022, successful which the “We Build the Wall” Florida-based entity was besides charged. Last year, helium served 4 months successful national situation for an unrelated condemnation for defying a legislature subpoena related to the House Committee’s probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In Manhattan, he’s accused of serving arsenic the designer of a multimillion-dollar strategy to defraud Trump supporters who donated wealth toward the “We Build the Wall” crowdfunding effort to conception a partition on the U.S.-Mexico border, including hundreds of Manhattan residents. 

Steve Bannon arrives for a pre-trial league astatine New York Criminal Court successful Manhattan connected Jan. 22, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

While Bannon and others progressive promised to give “every penny raised” to the wall’s construction, prosecutors accidental they utilized it to enrich themselves.

Bannon was federally charged for the strategy successful 2020 alongside 3 different men who person each been convicted. He received a pardon from Trump successful the eleventh hr of his archetypal word successful office.

Brian Kolfage, a Purple Heart veteran, pleaded blameworthy to the national charges successful April 2022 and was aboriginal sentenced to much than 4 years successful prison. Andrew Badolato, different conspirator, besides pleaded blameworthy and received a three-year situation term. A assemblage recovered the 4th man, Colorado businessman Timothy Shea, blameworthy successful October 2022 after his archetypal proceedings ended successful a mistrial with a juror holdout alleging a authorities “witch hunt.” Shea was sentenced to more than 5 years successful prison.

As the charges present facing Bannon successful Manhattan are connected the authorities level, Trump cannot intervene. He faces up to 15 years if convicted of the apical count.

On his mode retired of court, Bannon had nary remark connected the case. Instead, the erstwhile apical Trump strategist criticized 1 of the president’s caller apical advisers, Elon Musk, arsenic “out of control.”