Bannon lawyers ask to get out of border wall case

Steve Bannon’s lawyers have asked to withdraw from the border wall fraud case, telling a judge Thursday that his client is unwilling to speak to them directly and that they have “irreconcilable” differences on how to proceed.

Bannon, a conservative firebrand and longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, has until a hearing on February 28 to find a new lawyer, Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said. His current attorneys, David Schoen and John Mitchell, must remain on the case until then, the judge said.

“We simply have different views on strategy in the case and recognize that our differences on approach to the case are irreconcilable,” Schoen said. “Your approach may well be the right one, but you deserve a lawyer who is in tune with your vision of the case. It is not personal. It is his case and he must handle it the way he wants it ”.

Bannon, 69, has pleaded not guilty to misleading donors who gave money to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. The case, filed by New York prosecutors in November, is a statewide version of a federal case ended in 2021 for a presidential pardon.

Bannon is charged with money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges related to the “We Build the Wall” campaign. No trial date has been set and Merchan questioned whether the lawyer’s spat was a delaying tactic.