NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Steve Bannon鈥檚 trial on 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 , had been scheduled to stand trial Feb. 25 in the 鈥淲e Build the Wall鈥� 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鈥檚 request for a month-long postponement.
鈥淚鈥檝e been smeared by a political prosecution 鈥� persecution 鈥� for years, and I need someone who鈥檚 a little more aggressive,鈥� Bannon told the judge during a brief hearing in Manhattan. 鈥淚 need every tool in the tool box.鈥�
鈥淲ell, every tool in the tool box does not include delaying the trial,鈥� Newbauer said.
Aidala said Bannon hired him and his firm 鈥� including former prosecutor John Esposito and retired Judge Barry Kamins 鈥� as attack dogs who are on board with his plan to portray the case to jurors as a selective and malicious prosecution.
Bannon said he started shopping for new lawyers after he was "shocked" by Newbauer鈥檚 ruling in November that prosecutors could show jurors certain evidence, including an email they say shows Bannon was concerned the fundraising effort was 鈥渁 scam.鈥�
Aidala, a prominent New York City defense lawyer, told the judge that Bannon approached him about representation in December and, after initially declining, said he agreed to do so when his schedule freed up.
Aidala also represents in his pending rape retrial, also in state court in Manhattan. No date has been set, but the lawyer had been suggesting that Weinstein鈥檚 trial go first in 鈥渢he interest of humanity,鈥� citing the disgraced movie mogul鈥檚 declining health.
鈥淭hey know that Mr. Weinstein is dying of cancer and is an innocent man right now in the state of New York,鈥� Aidala argued at Wednesday鈥檚 hearing. He said he pleaded to prosecutors: 鈥淐an I try this dying man鈥檚 case first?鈥�
Newbauer said that after consulting with the judge in that case, Curtis Farber, it didn't seem realistic to shuffle the order. But, noting her discretion over scheduling, she allowed for a one-week delay 鈥渢o give new counsel to have a better opportunity to prepare for trial.鈥�
Bannon, 71, pleaded not guilty in September 2022 following his indictment on state money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges.
Bannon is accused of falsely promising donors that all money given to the would go toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Instead, prosecutors allege that the money was used to enrich Bannon and others involved in the project.
Launched in 2018, the campaign quickly raised more than $20 million and privately built a few miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. But it soon ran into , came under federal investigation and , the Republican whose policy the charity was founded to support.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took up the case after Bannon鈥檚 federal prosecution issued in the final hours of his first term.
Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state offenses.
Early on in the fundraising campaign, Bannon pooh-poohed it, prosecutors said at a November hearing.
鈥淚sn鈥檛 this a scam? You can鈥檛 build the wall for this much money,鈥� Bannon wrote in an email, according to prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson. He said Bannon went on to add: 鈥淧oor Americans shouldn鈥檛 be using hard-earned money to chase something not doable.鈥�
Two other men involved in the project, Brian Kolfage and Andrew Badolato, and were sentenced to prison. A third defendant, Timothy Shea, was convicted and also sentenced to prison.
Bannon went to prison in an unrelated case last year, serving four months at a federal lockup in Connecticut for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the on Jan. 6, 2021. He was released in October.
Aidala told Neubauer that Bannon鈥檚 new legal team is in the process of reviewing about 11 terabytes of case files that prosecutors have collected and turned over to them, which he said someone told him "would be like a U-Haul truck worth of material.鈥�
鈥淲e are going to roll up our sleeves and get ready to try this case," the lawyer said.
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Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
