Steve Bannon's trial on charges that he defrauded donors to the "Build the Wall" charity has been postponed, weeks after the ally of President-elect Trump completed a four-month prison term for contempt of Congress. The trial's start date was pushed back from Dec. 9 to Feb. 25 at a hearing Monday, which Bannon attended virtually, Politico reports. Bannon pleaded not guilty to federal charges connected to the charity in 2020 and was pardoned by Trump on the last full day of his first term. He was indicted in September 2022 in New York, where Trump will be unable to pardon him if he is convicted.
Bannon could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on charges including money laundering, scheming to defraud, and conspiracy, NBC News reports. Judge April Newbauer agreed Monday to postpone the trial to give Bannon's lawyers time to address added evidence that prosecutors say points to a financial motive. Bannon has pleaded not guilty and called the charges "nonsense," the AP reports. He claims he is being persecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Prosecutors say Bannon got involved with the effort to crowdfund a border wall because he saw an opportunity to make money for his Citizens of the American Republic group, per the AP. Brian Kolfage, who launched the campaign, pleaded guilty last year to pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors after vowing that he wouldn't "take a penny" of compensation. Prosecutor Jeffrey Levinson said Monday that Bannon labeled the campaign a "scam" in its early days. He said Bannon wrote in an email: "Isn't this a scam? You can't build the wall for this much money," adding: "Poor Americans shouldn't be using hard-earned money to chase something not doable." (More Steve Bannon stories.)
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